


The Jeweler's Hands

by Tightredpants



Category: Last Shadow Puppets
Genre: Age Difference, Alex is a waiter, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Explicit Language, I suppose you could say Alex is somewhat of an alcoholic, M/M, Miles is just extremely rich, if you squint and turn your head
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-05-19 17:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19361194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tightredpants/pseuds/Tightredpants
Summary: Alex is an English student working at a restaurant to help pay the bills, who gets more than he bargained for when he meets a handsome wealthy man by the name of Miles Kane.





	1. What Can I Get Started For Ya?

**Author's Note:**

> I know the summary is awful, I'm terrible at these things. Charlie is based off of a real Canadian I know, names have been changed of course for privacy. Let me know what ya'll think! Thanks in advance fo reading!

Alex just gotten off of work, being a waiter was hard but so profitable; he hated the game but loved making money. He still wasn’t sure how to up sell as much as his experienced coworkers, but he did enough to get by.  
He came back to his apartment with a pint of whiskey, not wanting to get hammered but still wanting to get a light buzz. He wondered how long he’d have to serve before getting his BA in English, which was his ultimate goal. He flipped through Netflix looking for something of worth to watch, then just decided to watch Drunk History again while he finished his pint.  
“Another day, another dollar,” he thought as he drifted off to sleep, silently dreading his next shift.  
When he went to work the next night, it was terribly slow and he figured he wasn’t making any money that night. Although he wasn’t planning on making a career in serving, he did enjoy the cooking aspect. He had learned a lot through talking to cooks, some working in Michelin Star restaurants.  
After messing around in the kitchen for about an hour, the hostess sat him with a one top; the worst kind of table you could get.  
“Great,” he thought, “another 7 dollar tip on a 30 dollar table”. Even though he worked at a fairly high end restaurant, people somehow managed to eat cheaply. Just his luck. While preparing the water for his table, the hostess told him, “be careful with this one, he’s a looker”. He heard this a lot, sometimes agreeing and sometimes unfortunately totally disagreeing. The sauté cook, Charlie, usually shared the same insight he did. 

“Is 32 your table?” Charlie asked from behind the line. 

“Uh, yeah, just got sat.” Alex replied. 

“Would you smash?” Charlie asked. 

“I haven’t even looked at him mate, and chances are I’m not trying to have a one night stand with a customer.” He and Charlie both laughed, but Alex silently contemplated the idea. He hadn’t gotten laid, or even went on a date, in almost a year.

“Hell, I’d drink his bathwater.” Charlie joked. 

It wouldn’t be the first time a customer was definitely something to look at, and maybe Charlie wasn’t full of shit for the first time in his life. He made a mental note: never trust Canadians. They’re too funny and scheme too much for their own good. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be straight?” Alex asked, hoping to get a rise out of him. 

“Yeah, but I’m not blind.” He chuckled at his response, and Alex just shook his head. 

“Alright, let’s see what we got.” He said before leaving the kitchen. 

“Hello, how are you doing tonight?” Alex asked in his best customer service voice, greeting the man at the table with a small smile. 

“Good, thank you.”

“Well my name is Alex and I’ll be taking care of you tonight; can I get you anything besides water?”

“Yes, I’ll have a double of Glenlivet 12 year, on the rocks.” The man replied, looking up from the menu for the first time. 

“Of course, may I see your ID?” Alex had to admit, the man was incredibly handsome, and incredibly stylish. 

As he handed Alex his ID, he chuckled and said, “I’m flattered.” 

Alex smiled again, not wanting to give his usual spiel about company policy, and took a look at his ID. _Miles Kane_. He mulled over the name as he searched for his birthday. 

“Oh, I see it’s your birthday! Happy birthday, sir.” 

“Well, just another day, right?”

“I love birthdays, I think they’re very special,” Alex admitted, handing back Miles’ ID. “And I’ll be right back with your drink.”

When he reached the kitchen, he put in the order for the bartender before going to the line. 

“Ya know, you were right. He’s older, kinda, but hardly looks like it. Must be loaded, ordering scotch and all. Here on his birthday all alone...” Alex said, earning a raised eyebrow from Charlie. 

“We’ll keep him company then! Use your charm on him. And,” he added as an afterthought, “I’m always right.” 

Alex delivered the drink to Miles, and it was the usual monologue about the specials, catch of the day, and which side came with whatever dish. 

“What’s your favorite thing here?” Miles asked, and Alex subconsciously ran a hand through his long curls. It was another company policy to keep long hair in a bun or ponytail, but the managers liked Alex so they let it slide. 

“Definitely the Wellington, we make them fresh every day. I get one whenever we have any left over after the end of the night.” 

“I suppose you eat here a lot?” 

“I get a discount, yeah, and there’s always things left over. My fridge is full of togo boxes.” He let out a little embarrassed laugh, he was trying to impress Miles, after all. 

“I’ll have a Wellington then, Alex.” 

“Of course, anything else for you?”

“Not for now, thank you.”

Alex walked back to the kitchen and put his order in. He didn’t want to bother his patron, but he was extremely interested in Miles. He was dressed better than anyone he had ever seen, extremely handsome and was also very polite, so Alex was very confused as to why Miles was all alone on his birthday. Alex believed that every birthday should be made special, no matter what. He always loved birthdays growing up, his mum would always make him his favorite breakfast and let him pick out what they ate for dinner, followed by homemade cake. He always made it home for his birthday, and for his parents birthdays as well.  
Alex went to check on Miles once again, making sure he didn’t need another drink, and to have the chance to talk to him again. 

“We don’t get many northerners around here, where are you from?” Alex was actually attempting small talk with Miles, but only because he was genuinely interested. 

“Around Liverpool, the Wirral. And you? I can tell you’re quite northern yourself.”

“Yes, I’m from Sheffield. A long way from home.” 

“I mainly just do business here in London, but I’m here so much I’m thinking of taking up residence.” 

“It’s not bad, I’ve lived here about two years.” 

“Well maybe you can give me a few recommendations once I settle.” 

“Absolutely. Let me go check on your food for ya.” He nodded to Miles and walked back to the kitchen, not bothering to hide the blush creeping on his cheeks. He had definitely worked around his shyness by being around strangers all the time, but the mysterious man he was serving tonight was unnerving, to say the least.

As he made his way back into the kitchen, he made eye contact with Charlie, who looked at him with raised eyebrows and a grin. 

“So? How’s it going?”

“Well I’ve already lied to him, told him the Wellington was my favorite dish.”

“The vegetarian selling meat. Terrible of you, really.” He couldn’t keep his laugher under control any longer, and the sound carried throughout the kitchen.

“Yeah but he ordered it. How long on that anyway?” 

~~~

When Miles had finally finished eating, Alex took his plate and vanished into the kitchen fairly quickly. When he passed by the line, Charlie was plating something special. The restaurant had always let diners receive a free dessert on their birthday, so Alex took it upon himself to bend the rules just a tad. Instead of the less than stellar option normal guests had, Alex had Charlie whip up one of their specialty desserts. Once it was ready, Alex placed a singular candle on top and lit it. He slowly walked back out into the dining room, and when Miles saw what was happening, his eyes grew wide and he smiled for the first time of the night, a huge grin that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. Alex delicately placed the plate in front of him, confident he had impressed the well dressed man.

“Happy birthday, Miles.” He said quietly. 

Miles blew out the candle, and his eyes were shining. “Thank you so much, Alex.” 

“You’re very welcome.” 

Miles ate his dessert, and once he had finished Alex brought him his check. He quickly paid, thanking Alex again for the excellent service. Alex thanked him for coming in, and wished him a wonderful evening. Soon after polishing off the last of his scotch, Miles left the restaurant. 

He retrieved the checkbook from the table and walked back to the line, so both he and Charlie could see. “Alright mate, let’s see how the posh lad tipped me.” 

“Holy shit, he left you his number!” Charlie exclaimed, and rather loudly.

“Jesus the whole floor is going to hear you!” Alex replied, shushing the overzealous cook. “He also tipped me way too fucking much. Almost 50%.”

”Fucking legend.” Charlie gave Alex a wink, and Alex just shook his head. 

~~~

A few days had passed, but Alex had not forgotten about Miles. For the past two days he had typed and deleted about a hundred different messages he could have sent, but none of them seemed to fit. However, when he told Charlie of his predicament, it was as if he had committed a cardinal sin. 

“What?! You can’t just let this opportunity slide by! Give me your phone.”

“Hell no,” Alex replied, “You’re gonna make me sound like such an ass!”

“I’ll do no such thing! Just gonna get the party started, aye?” He stuck his tongue out at Alex in a cartoonish way, and Alex begrudgingly handed over his phone. Charlie took the phone in his hand and quickly typed a message, and showed it to Alex before hitting send. 

“I suppose that’ll suffice…” He stared at the device as if it was alien for a few moments, rereading the text over and over until he saw a message bubble pop up, signifying Miles was indeed typing out a response. 

“Oh shit he’s already texting back!” Alex looked at the line cook with a panicked expression on his face, shoving his phone in Charlie’s hands. 

“See it worked! He’s keen on ya, take a look.” 

_Miles: I’m happy to hear from you Alex; I was beginning to think you’d never reach out xx_

“Now he thinks I’m daft!” 

“I’ve got ya, we’ll get through this together.” Charlie quickly typed out another response, this time hitting send before letting Alex proofread. 

“What’d you say?” Alex knew in a few moments his manager would walk in, and inevitably scold him for being on his phone and not doing anything. But right then, this was far more important. 

“I said, ‘sorry, I’ve been so busy at work. It was a pleasure to meet you.’ Nothing saucy yet.” He let out a chuckle, and Alex was certain he was having too much fun with this. 

“Ok. That should work. Now give me my phone back or John will have me head.” No sooner had Alex stuffed his phone back into his apron, his manager came barreling through the kitchen, complaining about the incompetence of so many workers there. Alex and Charlie shared a silent look before they resumed their duties.  
The rest of Alex’ shift went smoothly, and he spent most of his time in the kitchen cleaning things and refilling ice. It wasn’t until he got home that he remembered he hadn’t checked to see if Miles had texted him back. When he checked his phone, he had a message from his mom, telling him to _please come visit soon, dear_ , and one from Miles. 

_Miles: Would you like to meet for coffee sometime? I’d love to get to know you better._

Sitting up straight, he hastily thought of a reply. 

_Alex: I’d love to, yeah_

After he hit send he immediately regretted his choice of words, years of studying English no longer helping him articulate his thoughts. While he was wallowing in self pity, however, his phone lit up once more informing he’d received a text. 

_Miles: When are you available?_

_Alex: Tomorrow is my day off, actually._

_Miles: What a coincidence, so is mine._

_Alex: What time works for you?_

_Miles: We could do 1, maybe grab some food as well x_

_Alex: I know a lot of great coffee shops around, and restaurants :)_

_Miles: Perfect. We can work out specifics tomorrow. Goodnight x_

_Alex: Goodnight xx_


	2. Coffee, Cigarettes, and Whiskey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone for the amazing feedback on the first chapter! I'm so glad you all like this story so far! Hope you all like this chapter just as much! X

Alex woke up early the next morning, far earlier than needed. He reread his messages from Miles, making sure he wasn’t making a mistake in the day or time. He knew that he wasn’t, but it was a nervous tick of his to recheck things. He showered, ate a small breakfast as to not spoil his appetite, texted his mother back, and took to trying to pick out an outfit. He had already decided to wear his hair in a sort of updo, tying up the top in a small bun on his crown but letting the rest fall gracefully at his shoulders. Eventually he picked his newer pair of jeans and a striped shirt with three-quarter sleeves. He chuckled at himself at how closely he resembled a bird, but he concluded that maybe Miles would just find him cute. He checked his phone once again, it was now half past 11. He had a message from Miles, and he opened it with enthusiasm. 

_Miles: Does today still work for you?_

_Alex: Absolutely:) there’s a posh little coffee shop I think you’d like that we can go to_

_Miles: Think I’m posh now? ;)_

_Alex: Anyone who drinks scotch with dinner is posh, love xx_

_Miles: Guilty. I’ll pick you up at yours in around an hour, send over your address xx_

Alex smiled as he sent Miles his address, but his smile faltered as he looked around his apartment, which was in complete shambles. He could already hear the scolding his mother would give him if she knew he was letting company over with such a mess. He decided he’d just meet Miles outside his building, the cleaning he’d need to do would take him hours. He made a few finishing touches to his outfit and hair, and when he looked at the clock, he noticed he still had some time to kill but he headed outside anyway; he could always have a smoke while he was waiting. When he made it outside he found himself becoming nervous; he hadn’t been on a date in months, maybe even a year. He found that working on his studies had replaced his need for a partner. However, he thought to himself as he lit a cigarette, this could be a start of something new, and it was about time he changed up his routine.  
To Alex’ surprise, Miles arrived early. He didn’t notice at first, because when Miles pulled up to the curb in his insanely expensive sports car, Alex just scoffed at how rich people like to flaunt their wealth. It wasn’t until Miles got out of the car that he realized his mistake, and was incredibly embarrassed. Alex knew Miles was wealthy, but he also knew a car like that costs about £100,000, and suddenly he felt like a fish out of water. Miles didn’t seem like the type to want to flaunt how much money he had, and so far he had been nothing but charming.  
Alex pulled himself out of his thoughts as Miles approached him with a sweet smile, which he reciprocated. Miles was wearing skinny black dress pants and a very well-fitted black turtleneck, which made him look every bit of tall, dark, and handsome. 

“Hey Alex, how are ya?” Alex was reminded of the fact that Miles was northern, and his Scouse accent made him break into a grin. 

“Alright, Miles. You?” He took the last drag of his cigarette and let it fall to the ground, stamping it out gently. 

“Alright, yeah. Are you ready?”

Alex gave Miles directions as they drove, the coffee shop not being too far from his place. They made small talk as they drove, nothing too serious or interesting but Alex found it was extremely easy to talk to Miles, and that he was absolutely hilarious. His cheeks were read from laughing already, and if Miles kept him laughing this hard he might cry. They arrived shortly and walked into the shop, looking over the menu for a bit before Alex stepped to the counter. 

“I’ll have an iced caramel macchiato, please.” He said politely. 

“I’ll have the same, thank you.” Miles spoke from behind Alex, who turned and smiled at him. 

They took a table outside on the patio, where they could drink their coffees and smoke cigarettes freely. They sat across from each other, having a silent staring contest for a few seconds before Alex grinned mischievously and shot his hand out, for Miles to shake. 

“Alex Turner. Sheffield. 23 years old.” Miles shook his hand and grinned back, taking a drag of his cigarette before continuing. 

“Miles Kane. Birkenhead. 32 years old.” Alex raised his eyebrows at him, nodding while pondering his response. 

“You don’t look 32.” He said. 

“And you look about 17.” Miles countered, trying to hide a wicked grin by taking a sip of his coffee. 

“Can’t believe I’m out with a pervert.” Alex said, already starting to giggle. 

“I prefer the term cougar,” Miles joked. 

Alex laughed heartily at that, saying, “That’s a term for women you muppet!” 

“Well I think it’s unfair they get all the cool names!” Miles said laughing. 

“Ok, I’ve got an idea,” Alex began, “20 questions, yeah? And you’ve got to answer all of them.”

“Are we at a sleepover?” Miles cackled, but Alex was insistent. 

“It’ll be fun! I’ll start.” He said, eyeing Miles questionably. “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Animal?” He couldn’t contain his laughter, he truly felt 13 again, “Well I suppose a cheetah, based on my wardrobe.” 

“Wardrobe! Fashion star Miles Kane!” Alex was thoroughly enjoying himself, and Miles was too. 

“Your turn!” Alex said, practically beaming. 

“Well now I want to know your favorite animal!” 

“It’s a polar bear. They’re so cool. Now let’s see… Favorite band?” 

“The Beatles. Easy.” Miles said proudly. 

“Mine too! Ok now-“

“Wait I didn’t ask a question!” Miles said between laughter. 

“Oh alright, go on then.” Alex said huffing. 

“Are you a virgin?” They both immediately broke down into laughter, which was loud enough to turn some heads. After they had calmed down a little, Miles wiped some tears from his eyes and continued, “No, no, I’m just joking. My real question is…” Miles realized he didn’t have a real question, so he was trying to make one up on the spot. “You look like you read, who’s your favorite author?”

“John Cooper Clarke. I’ve read everything he’s written. Ya know, I’m actually in school studying literature.” Alex looked at Miles proudly, folding his arms and raising his nose. 

“An educated lad! I enjoy him as well.” Miles replied. 

“Handsome and you’ve got good taste, interesting…” Alex knew he was flirting pretty heavily with Miles, but he was returning every signal Alex put out, so he wasn’t concerned in the slightest. “Ok my turn again, don’t get me distracted Kane. Why’d you choose to go into the business world?”

“Well I wouldn’t say I chose to; it’s my father’s company. I’m working with him until I eventually take it over. I did get a degree in music though, back when I was your age.” He gave Alex a wink as he ended his sentence. “Alright back to me. Do you like your job as a server?”

“Absolutely not!” Alex chuckled, “I only work there because rich people like you love to spend money on fancy meals.”

“I do love a good fancy meal, what can I say?” Miles replied, shrugging as he sipped his coffee again. 

“Speaking of, I’m starved. Let’s go grab a bite and finish our game, yeah?” Alex said just as his stomach growled. 

“Sounds good to me.” Miles said as they both stood. “Where do you want to go?”

“I know of a place, pretty close to here, so we can walk.” 

“My personal tour guide, you are.” 

“I promised I’d show you around, didn’t I?” Alex winked before taking off down the street, Miles right by his side. 

By the end of lunch they had already begun to share the same brainwaves, where so much as a look could send them into a fit of hysterics. The trendy Thai place Alex had taken them to had impressed Miles, and Alex knew it would; he was always suggesting cutesy places like this to his wealthier customers. But when Miles said he liked it, Alex knew that he was being genuine, and he was silently proud of himself for picking the right place. When they got the bill, Miles insisted on paying, and while Alex did feel a tad guilty, he was somewhat relieved when he caught a glimpse of their tab. The bottle of saki Miles had ordered cost almost as much as an entire night’s wages, and their food wasn’t cheap either. 

“You’ll have to let me pay next time, Miles.” Alex firmly stated once they were leaving the restaurant. 

“Next time, aye?” Miles said with a mischievous grin. With a small blush creeping into his cheeks, Alex nodded in agreement. 

—

The next day at work, Alex came in beaming. He immediately went to the kitchen to tell Charlie the good news. 

“Guess what mate.” Alex said confidently, leaning on the stove. 

“Yeah? What?” Charlie asked, an evil grin forming on his face. 

“I saw Miles yesterday. Proper date!” Alex replied, holding his head up high. 

“Oh my god! You really did it, eh?” 

“I surely did, and we’re gonna go out again too!” 

“Well when?” 

“I dunno. I haven’t talked to him since yesterday.” Alex’ confident demeanor was quickly fading, uncertainty creeping upon him. 

“Well text him man! Tell him you had a good time!”

“Fuck you’re right. I forgot.” Alex pulled out his phone and found Miles’ contact, opening a new message. “So… just tell him I had fun? That’s it?”

“Jesus have you ever dated anyone?” There was a slight annoyance in Charlie’s tone, but Alex just rolled his eyes and began typing a message. 

“Just don’t wanna fuck up, is all.” He finished his text, a simple _I had a lot of fun yesterday :)_ , and quickly pocketed it before a manager could spot him. Another agonizingly slow night was ahead of them, with only eight reservations for the whole night. His shift was mostly spent chatting with Charlie and the rest of the kitchen, for there wasn’t much to do in the whole restaurant.  
He finished his closing duties in record time after he was cut, hardly bothering to mop properly. He made it just in time to his neighborhood off-license, picking himself out a fancier whiskey than usual to help him get over his shift. The rest of the workers that night decided to go to a local pub, but Alex declined as usual, opting for the comfort of his own home. When he finally settled in and had a few whiskeys, he pulled out his phone to check if Miles had replied. 

_Miles: I had a lot of fun too, hope to see you soon x_

_He really loves to send little x’s_ , Alex thought fondly as he read over the message. It may have been the whiskey, or it may have been that he actually rather liked him, but Alex found himself pressing the call button before he could convince himself otherwise. Once it was ringing Alex knew he couldn’t hang up, the call was already going through and Miles would just call back anyway. 

“Hello Al, didn’t expect to hear from you tonight.” Miles said over the line, his voice husky as if he was close to sleeping which almost made Alex blush. 

“I hope I haven’t interrupted anything,” Alex began, but was cut off by Miles. 

“No absolutely not, I wasn’t doing anything.” 

“Good,” Alex replied, and Miles could hear the smile on his lips. 

“What’re you doing, Alex?” There was that husky tone again, warm like melted butter and suddenly Alex wished he were there with him. 

“I just got home from work, not too long ago. Having a few drinks now.” 

“Are you out? It seems quiet on your end.” 

“No, just at home. I prefer it that way, I guess.” Usually Alex wasn’t embarrassed to relay that information, but now he felt like a lonely drunk in his apartment. 

“Are you drunk?” Miles teased, and Alex giggled on the other side of the line. 

“Not yet,” he replied jokingly, smiling at himself when Miles laughed. 

“Rough night at work?” 

“Slow as all hell, you can’t make any money during the summer time. Everyone’s on holiday.” Alex lamented. 

“I wish I was on holiday, the bastards.”

“Aye, me too. Rather be out living, instead of wasting away selling shit I can’t even eat.”

“What do you mean? You said you eat at work all the time!” 

“No, love. I’m vegetarian.” Alex admitted. 

“So that’s why you ordered your pad thai without chicken!” Miles let out a laugh, a real one, and it was just as infectious as it was in person. 

“Exactly. And that pad thai was delicious.”

“So why’d you sell me that Wellington? I actually believed you!” Miles tried to make his tone sound hurt, but Alex knew he was only joking. 

“Well I can’t exactly say I don’t eat the food, wouldn’t make too much money that way.” 

“I suppose you’re right.”

They continued their conversation for hours, Alex drinking half his bottle and laughing at everything Miles said, getting sucked in with every word. He checked the clock in his living room and noticed it was nearing half past one, and groaned at how late it was. 

“Oh no Miles, it’s terribly past me bedtime…”

“Mine too. I didn’t even realize.” 

“Aye, me neither. Time flies when you’re having fun,” Alex replied, a slight slur in his words. 

“When can I see you again?” Miles questioned. 

“Anytime you’d like. I’ll have to see when I’ve got another day off.” 

“That sounds great, I hope it’s soon.” 

“Me too. Goodnight Miles.” 

“Goodnight Al.” Alex hung up, smiling like an idiot at the new nickname Miles had given him. He tucked himself in with a glass of water, replaying their conversation with butterflies in his stomach. He couldn’t remember the last time he was that giddy about someone new; it was a strange but not completely unwelcome sensation. Miles’ voice was still playing in his head as he drifted off, a smile still plastered on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm over on tumblr @tightredpants, I post when I'll be updating fic and other TLSP/AM/Miles Kane content!


	3. Let Me Make You A Drink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you in advance for reading! Feedback/comments are always welcome :) I hope you enjoy me shamelessly promoting my favorite whiskeys

Alex began to loathe work even more, because any shift he worked meant he wasn’t able to spend that time with Miles. He’d only been able to see him once in the past week, and he was beginning to think he should ask his managers for more days off. Tonight he was bartending, which he almost preferred to serving, but once again it was slow so he didn’t have many patrons.  
He was polishing wine glasses when he heard a bar stool being pulled out, signifying someone had joined him at the bar. He finished polishing the glass and turned around, the sight in front of him instantly putting a smile on his face. 

“Hi Miles,” he said, establishing eye contact and didn’t dare break it. 

“When you texted me that you worked tonight I figured it might be nice to stop by, I hope you don’t mind.” He was being polite as ever, just as Alex knew he would be.

Alex smiled in response, a genuine one, the first of the night. It was refreshing, and he was suddenly glad there was no one else at the bar to distract him. “Let me make you a drink,” he said, pulling a glass from thin air. Miles watched as Alex put on some theatrics, pulling out a small handheld torch and a wooden board, heating it until it smoked. As soon as the first little plumes of smoke began to rise from the board he placed the glass over it, and moved to work on the rest of the drink. He muddled oranges and cherries together, before taking the smoked cup and pouring the fruit in. He added gin to the mixture, and from somewhere under the bar he pulled a square rock from a cooler, placing it in the cup. He gave it a nice swirl before putting it in front of Miles, who was immensely impressed. 

“It’s a smoked gin old fashioned. Somewhat of a specialty of mine. I hope you like it.” Alex had a slight blush on his cheeks, he loved making drinks for people he cared about, but Miles was new, almost uncharted territory. He concluded, however, that if Miles showed up at his work just so he could see him, he was someone special, and mostly, kind. 

Miles took the first sip, and then another. He sat the glass down, staring at its’ contents while all the different flavors moved around his pallet. Finally, he spoke. “That’s the best thing I’ve had to drink in a very long time. How’d you learn that?” Miles looked at Alex with glistening eyes, the exterior coolness was slowly slipping away, slipping away to the goofy and smiley Miles that had taken him out twice in the past two weeks. 

“You’ll find I’m quite the connoisseur, when it comes to drink. I’ll show you the best whiskeys, the best scotches, stuff that’ll put your Glenlivet to shame, and make you the best drinks in your life.” Alex was feeling cocky, he was no doubt in his element; he’d worked in restaurants for so long that each new job was the same thing, just a different place. 

“I’ll definitely hold you to your word. So far, I believe you.” Miles responded, and with a grin picked his glass back up, finishing the last of the gin in his cup. He slid the glass across the bar back to Alex, “surprise me, Mr. Turner,” he said. 

Alex couldn’t deny he was slightly turned on, he had a man in front of him in a three piece suit making the eyes at him, a man that was, so far, interested in him. He wouldn’t put that to waste, so he continued in making Miles the most complex and intricate drinks he could with the stock he had behind the bar. He apologized to Miles, saying he’d have to ring in the liquor he drank, but Miles just laughed and handed him his credit card. He’d still have to get acquainted with the fact Miles was fairly wealthy, but Miles never acted like anything other than a good old northern boy, just with better manners. Sometimes. 

“How are you feeling, Mr. Kane?” Alex asked after Miles’ third round. 

“I’m definitely feeling it, if that’s what you’re asking. But I’d say I can have another drink.” Alex just grinned at him, and proceeded in making Miles’ fourth surprise drink. Alex has prefaced each drink with a little back story, mostly for himself, but Miles had clung to every word that came out of his mouth. As Alex put the next drink in front of him, this time was no different. 

“This is because I feel like you’re a man of simplicity, despite how you dress and that ridiculous car you drive.” They both chuckled at Alex’ quip, and Miles took a small sip of his drink. 

“Whiskey. Definitely simple, but always hits the mark,” Miles replied. 

“It’s Bulleit, not very expensive but still one of my favorites out there. Very sweet, almost like an Irish whiskey.” 

“I’m impressed by your knowledge of alcohol, Al.” 

“Thanks, Miles.” 

After Miles finished his drink Alex told him he was going to begin doing his closing work, but he was more than welcome to stay until he finished. Miles decided to stay, and Alex completed his closing tasks faster than he ever had. When he was done, he took a spot next to Miles, with two drinks prepared. 

“After this one, you’ll have to wait until I catch up with you.” Alex grinned, clinking his glass against Miles’. Alex quickly drained his cup, and once again moved behind the bar. “Watch this,” He said nonchalantly, and Miles did as he was told. He removed a bottle of Jameson from the shelf, and four shot glasses. He took another glass, and filled it with Coke. He gingerly poured whiskey into the shot glasses, making sure not a drop was spilled. Then he shoved a few notes into a glass jar behind the bar, and faced Miles. 

“One.” He said, and he took a sip of Coke and then took his shot. 

He placed the glass upside down, and looked at Miles again. “Two,” He said, and he repeated his previous action. 

“Three.”

“Four.”

“And now I’ve caught up. Let’s get out of here.” Miles didn’t quite know what to say, he was impressed and slightly concerned, thinking to himself, _has Alex eaten dinner?_

Alex clocked out and changed his shirt, and they left the restaurant. The brisk summer air hit their faces as they stepped outside, and the city was bustling as usual, it was a Friday night after all. 

“Do you want to get some food?” Miles questioned. Alex’ eyes were slightly glossy, but he smiled sweetly and nodded. 

“I’m starved,” he replied. They walked down the street until they found a late night pizza shop. Alex ordered a slice of mushroom pizza, while Miles got pepperoni. As they sat down, Alex couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose at Miles’ choice. 

“Something wrong?” Miles asked. 

“Pepperoni smells bad to me,” Alex said honestly. If he was completely honest, he’d say he couldn’t stand the smell of cooked flesh, it smelled _off _to him.__

__“I forgot you’re veggie. That’ll be something I'll have to get used to,” Miles smiled and folded his pizza in half, taking a bite. Alex smiled too, thinking fondly of all the things about Miles he’d learn, things he’d _have to get used to_ , and all the things they could possibly share. He knew he was getting ahead of himself, though, but still let himself enjoy it.  
After they ate they moved on to a pub, quite a fancy one, that Miles picked out. Alex felt slightly out of place, but Miles put his arm around him as they sat at the bar, which made him instantly relax. It was almost unsettling how easy it was to be around Miles, as he’d always been the type to be closed off, introverted, and quiet. But with Miles around, he was more open, more than he’d been in years, and he almost enjoyed it. Miles let him pick their drinks, and he chose a classic, gin martinis.  
They sat and drank for a while, not bothering to check the time or how many drinks they had. They were both buzzing, staying close and whispering secrets to each other. They explored little intricacies about themselves; being only children, what they liked for breakfast, how they took their tea and coffee, and which brand of socks was best. The last call was shouted over the bar and they decided to finally leave, Miles of course paying the tab. 

__“You’ve gotta let me pay sometime, Mi!” Alex almost whined as they left._ _

__“Why? I like paying!” Miles laughed, putting his arm once again around Alex’ waist._ _

__“You’re the only person on earth who’s ever said they _like_ paying for things,” Alex retorted. _ _

__“Only when it’s you.” Miles said, and Alex shuffled a little closer as they walked down the pavement._ _

__“Next time, let me,” Alex said halfheartedly._ _

__“Next time.”_ _

__“You should probably stay at mine,” Miles commented after they’d been walking for some time._ _

__“You think so?” Alex said, drunkenly giggling at himself._ _

__“Perhaps,” Miles replied, giggling as well._ _

__“Alright then. I’ll take your word for it.”_ _

__Miles called his driver to pick them up, and soon they were being safely carried to Miles’ residency. Of course, it was in the nicest part of town, the part with high rise buildings and a never ending amount of shiny things to look at. They were let off in front of Miles’ building, and he guided them inside, to the elevators._ _

__“Christ alive,” was all Alex said, swaying slightly as he looked around the lobby while waiting for the elevator._ _

__“It’s a bit gratuitous, I know. I didn’t pick it out.” Miles slurred his words as he stepped into the elevator, and Alex wasn’t even surprised when he pressed the button of the highest floor._ _

__“You ever get bored of this?” Alex blurted out, and it took Miles quite a few moments to register what had been said._ _

__“Oh yeah, it’s all so much. All the time. I don’t get tired of spending a shit ton of money though, especially on pretty boys like you.” They both laughed then, and kept laughing until they reached Miles’ floor._ _

__Once they reached his door, it was unlocked, albeit sloppily, and they entered the large expanse of Miles’ penthouse apartment._ _

__“I haven’t hardly moved in yet. But I’ve got a guest room, you can stay in. It’s very nice.” Miles was grinning and laughing quietly, and Alex was smiling broadly as he looked out the floor to ceiling windows._ _

__“For a moment I thought you’d brought me up here just to get in me pants,” Alex said, finally looking over at Miles and gave him a devilish smile._ _

__Miles laughed hysterically, and grabbed Alex’ hand as he led him to the guest bedroom. “Not tonight, at least. Goodnight, Al.” He said, still chuckling._ _

__“Goodnight, Miles. I had fun tonight.” Right as he was about to turn into the room, Miles leaned forward, giving the sweetest peck to Alex’ cheek._ _

__“I had fun too, see ya tomorrow.” He said, before retreating down the hall to his own bedroom._ _

__Alex moved into the room, certainly the nicest bedroom he’d ever seen, and made quick work of tucking himself in. He was asleep in minutes, but not before replaying the moment Miles had kissed him over and over, with each replay his cheeks becoming a darker shade of red._ _

__The morning sun was not kind when Alex woke up, and when he looked at the clock, he realized it was barely 9 o’clock. His head was absolutely pounding and he knew he wouldn’t be getting back to sleep any time soon, so he slowly made his way out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. He found Miles already awake and cooking breakfast, with a cheetah print robe on. He looked freshly showered, and Alex was slightly embarrassed for Miles to see his so disheveled._ _

__“Good morning,” he said to Miles’ back, his voice was rough and even speaking made his head hurt worse._ _

__Miles turned and smiled at Alex, a smile that made it seem like they hadn’t spent the entire night drinking like fish. “Good morning, love. How are you feeling?”_ _

__“Like absolute shit, if I’m honest.” Alex replied as he took a seat at the breakfast counter, where he had a good view of Miles cooking. Miles handed him a glass of water and some ibuprofen, to which he nodded his thanks._ _

__Soon breakfast was ready, a plate for Alex consisting of eggs and an English muffin, Miles with something similar, including bacon._ _

__“Oh, I didn’t even ask if you ate eggs…” Miles asked, about to take the plate from in front of Alex before he raised a hand._ _

__“I’m not that difficult, and this looks delicious.” Alex said, trying his best to be polite when he felt like death._ _

__They ate breakfast quietly, Alex trying to will his stomach to settle as he slowly ate. Miles snuck some quick glances at Alex, noticing how miserable he was. He sat his fork down and placed a stray strand of hair behind his ear, Alex immediately leaning into the touch. “Are you alright?” He asked gently._ _

__“It’s ok, I just need some food in me, and some water, maybe a nap…” Alex replied slowly._ _

__“You can stay here as long as you’d like. A shower might help ya, you can borrow some of my clothes.” Mikes said sweetly, running a gentle hand through Alex’ hair._ _

__“Thank you.”_ _

__Miles sent Alex off to shower after they finished, and he left him some towels and comfortable clothes for Alex. He informed Alex he had to run some errands for a while, but he’d be back shortly after lunch with some food in tow. Alex thanked him again, and with another kiss on the cheek from Miles, Alex was left alone in his huge penthouse apartment. He certainly wanted to snoop, but he felt like shit and decided to save that for another time. He hopped in the shower, taking his sweet time, before dressing and chugging about three glasses of water. Miles had left him an oversized shirt and tracksuit bottoms that were extremely soft and pleasantly smelled like Miles, which made him smile to himself. His headache and nausea were beginning to subside, and he knew the only other thing he could possibly do was fall asleep. He climbed back into bed, making sure to pull the shades closed as much as he could. Submerged in blankets and darkness, falling asleep was easy work.  
When Miles returned, Alex was still asleep, but it was almost nearing one, so he quietly snuck into the room to wake him up. Miles ever so gently began to nudge Alex awake, moving his hair from his face and slowly rubbing his shoulder. Alex woke soon enough, looking up at Miles with those big, sleepy brown eyes. “Hi, Mi,” he said sleepily, rolling to face Miles and curl into the sheets. _ _

__“Hey,” Miles began with a smile, “I brought us some lunch. Are you hungry?”_ _

__“I’m starving. What’d you get?”_ _

__“Indian, they’ve got tons of options for vegetarians, so I went out on a limb and picked one that also sounded good to me.” Miles was proud of himself, Alex’ food almost looked better than his, and he was excited to see how he liked it._ _

__“That’s so sweet, love. Thank you.” Alex had a slight blush on his cheeks, but thankfully, the dim lighting in the room didn’t expose him._ _

__“Come on then, let’s eat.”_ _


	4. You Can Call Me Anything You Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wine, cigarette, movie, repeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a little shorter; but it's just because of how the writing was split up. I could've added more but I felt like there were things that belonged in the next chapter. Trying to keep things cohesive! Hope you all enjoy, thanks for reading.

Alex didn’t return home until late that evening, he spent most of the day cuddled up to Miles watching old movies. It was arguably the best hangover he’d ever had, if there’s anything good about a hangover. The next day Charlie heard all about it, and for once Alex didn’t dread going to work. He still wished he could just stay in Miles’ posh apartment all day, cuddling him, kissing him-

“So have you fucked yet?” Charlie asked, much to the dismay of Alex. 

They had only been seeing each other for about three weeks, which was enough time for Alex to go insane with desire, but he would never divulge that fact to anyone but his bedsheets. 

“Fuck off, yeah? He’s like, a gentleman, and that. Taking his time. And we’re not even officially going out, yet.” Alex replied, nervously pushing his hair back. 

Charlie just shook his head and rolled his eyes, before turning back to the line. Alex took his break and went out back to smoke, pulling out his phone. 

_Mi ❤️: hope your shift is going well X it should be a crime to have to work on a pretty day like this_

_Alex: I completely agree. But I’ve got the evening off, got someone to cover for me._

_Mi ❤️: down for some movies and maybe some wine tonight?_

Alex blushed at his phone as he typed out his response, confirming their night in. Miles quickly responded, the message sending slight panic through Alex. 

_Mi ❤️: I’ll meet you at yours? 6?_

_Alex: we’ll see! I’ll call you_

Fuck, Alex thought, stamping out his cigarette and shoving his phone back into his pocket.   
He finished his shift and headed home, calling Miles on the way. 

“Hey babe,” Miles greeted cheerily. 

“Hey,” Alex giggled, pushing the phone closer to his ear. 

“Does tonight still sound good?”

“Yeah, but do you really want to come to mine? It’s really a state right now,” Alex tried to politely say that his one bedroom flat was nowhere near as nice as Miles’, and almost downright embarrassing. 

Miles just scoffed, saying, “I don’t care, love. I’ll even help you clean if you’d like.”

Alex knew even from the short amount of time he had spent with Miles that denying him anything was nearly impossible, so he found himself folding before he could even argue. “Alright then, I’ll see you at 6.” 

As soon as he got inside the door, Alex immediately started cleaning. He started the laundry first, then moved on to gathering up dishes he’d left on the coffee table and on his night stand. Then he picked up the empty cigarette boxes and cleaned out his ashtray, and threw away any beer bottles that were left to their own devices on random surfaces after they’d been emptied. He flipped the laundry, putting in an extra dryer sheet so his clothes would smell alarmingly nice when Miles came over, and proceeded to wash the dishes. Once he’d finished that, he checked the clock. 5:30. He sprayed some air freshener and jumped in the shower, thankfully hearing the dryer ding while he was washing his hair. When he was finally dressed and presentable, it was a minute from 6, and he heard a knock on the door. Alex opened the door and Miles strode in beaming, giving him a kiss on the cheek before even saying hello. 

“What’s this about ‘a state’? It looks wonderful to me.” 

“I’ve been running around like a tornado, barely got me skivvies on before you came knockin’.” 

Miles just tutted at him, “Shame I didn’t get here earlier,” he said, adding on a trademark wink. 

“So you are a pervert, I see.” Alex replied, returning Miles’ grin with his own. “And you’ve brought a fuckton of wine.” 

“There were too many to choose from!” Miles set the paper bag down on Alex’ tiny dining room table, and took out the bottles of red he’d chosen. “I didn’t know if you liked Cabs, or Shiraz, or Pinot Noir, so I just got a little of everything. And you’ve gotta have a nice red bled as well.” 

“I’ll drink anything with an alcohol percentage, love. But these look lovely.” He picked the bottle of Pinot Noir and shuffled through a kitchen drawer to find a wine opener, trying not to think about how he knew that bottle alone cost about fifty pounds in stores. He got down two wine glasses and poured them generously, handing one to Miles. “So what movies did you bring?” 

Out of the bag Miles took out an array of films, from romantic comedies to every Sean Connery Bond film, and the Pink Panther films. After deciding on James Bond, they moved to the couch and got comfortable. Alex noticed that Miles was dressed down tonight, dressed only in a tracksuit and loafers. Gucci loafers, of course, but loafers nonetheless. They made it through about one movie before the wine started to make them thoroughly chatty, and even though they started a second film, it went unwatched. 

“I’m glad you decided to slum it with me tonight,” Alex said as he refilled their glasses. 

“I’d much rather still live in a cozy place like this, if I’m honest.”

“ _Still?_ ” Alex asked.

“Yeah, I wasn’t always a poor little rich boy.” He started, giggling at himself. “I mostly grew up with my aunt, who ran a butcher shop. Which, I know, is probably your worst nightmare.” 

“I’ll make an exception this time.” Alex replied, failing to hide his smile. 

“But yeah, mum and dad would be off doing this or that, so I stayed with her mostly.” 

“I would have never guessed, honestly.” 

“It really wasn’t until after college, when my parents decided it was time to get me involved.” 

“Are you close with your parents now?” He asked tentatively, surprised at this new development. 

“Now that I’ve joined them in their business, yeah. Well, my dad’s business. But mostly close with me aunt. I still go to visit her about twice a month.” Miles answered, taking a graceful sip from his glass. 

“Well that explains why you aren’t like the rest of the wealthy pricks I’ve met.” 

“She’s helped me a lot with that, yes.” Miles said, chuckling and smiling fondly at Alex, and maybe at the thought of his aunt as well. 

“I’d like to meet her one day.” 

“Maybe we could arrange that.” The gunshots and fighting on the television screen went completely unnoticed as they looked into each other’s eyes, hazy due to dim lighting and excess wine. 

“Can I ask you something?” Alex said after a moment, never diverting his gaze. 

“Anything,” Miles replied. 

“Are you talking to anyone else? Is there anyone else you’re out kissing?” He finally lost their staring game, looking down at his lap and placing his hair behind his ears. He was thankful that the wine he’d drank had already caused his cheeks to heat up, if not for that he’d be outed as terribly embarrassed. 

“No, are you?” Miles replied in almost a whisper, dripping in honesty. 

“No.” 

“Then I suppose that settles it then, yeah? Would you like to be my…” Miles gestured vaguely between them, hoping that Alex would help him out. 

“Boyfriend?” Alex answered, trying his best to hide the grin desperately waiting to break the surface. 

“Yeah, boyfriend. Or partner, whatever you’d like to call it.” He smiled at Alex then, not unlike the many thousand-watt smiles he’d given him before, but there was something slightly different about this one. 

“I’d quite like that. Boyfriends.” There was an electric feel to the air about them as they faced each other on the couch, knees almost brushing together and their attention never being lost from one another. 

“I’d quite like that, too.”

—

Alex came barreling into the kitchen, not even clocking in before going up to Charlie, who was meticulously cutting vegetables. “You’re never gonna believe this!” 

“Jesus Christ, don’t scare me like that! What happened?” He asked while cleaning off his knife.

“Miles fucking asked me to be his boyfriend!” 

“So you’re fucking, aye?” Charlie said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“God, you’re so nasty. No, we haven’t, but we definitely will, now!” 

“He really is taking his time, huh?” 

“Did you hear me?? He wants to be official!” Alex shot Charlie an annoyed glare, surprised that the cook wasn’t sharing his excitement. 

“I suppose you said yes, then?” 

“Don’t be stupid, of course I said yes. Jeez, I need better friends.” 

“Oh don’t be pouty, you know you love me!” Charlie blew an air kiss to Alex, who in turn just rolled his eyes. “I am proud of you though, and proud of myself, for sending that first text. Who would’ve guessed it’d turn out like this, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”


	5. In The Morning I'll Be Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are a little saucier in this chapter, enjoy ;)

Alex and Miles were out later that week, on their first “official” date. Miles planned everything, a picnic date in Hyde Park. Alex was already decidedly smitten, but the romantic in him was falling apart with admiration at the thoughtful idea. He picked Alex up around lunchtime, with a huge picnic basket and blanket in tow in his backseat, and made their way to the park. Miles was being extra gentlemanly, making sure to open Alex’ door and carry everything, even at Alex’ protests to let him help. Miles led them to their spot and set up everything, vegetarian-friendly sandwiches with chips alongside some ridiculously priced champagne that tasted like actual heaven. 

“I’ll warn you Miles, I could very easily get used to this,” Alex said as they cozied up on the blanket 

“I think I could too,” Miles replied, giving Alex the sweetest look he’d ever seen, “maybe we could make picnic dates a regular thing.” 

“Maybe we can,” Alex didn’t mind, for the first time, that Miles made him blush. Now, for some reason, when Miles made his cheeks go rosy he relished in the heat, instead of feeling like he had to hide it. 

“Do you like the champagne? A colleague suggested it.” 

“It’s the best champagne I’ve ever had! I could drink it all day.” 

“That could be arranged, it is Saturday after all. If we’re hungover we can just be lazy tomorrow. And it’s rare you have two days off in a row, so maybe we could make the most of it?” Alex could tell Miles was excited as he pitched his idea, looking at Alex dreamily as he talked. There’s no way he’d be able to turn him down, and he also had no intention in doing so. 

“Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.” Alex replied, laying his head on Miles’ shoulder. 

They finished their lunch, and decided to stay in the park for a while watching the people go by. Miles gently took Alex’ hand and sat it in his lap, making Alex smile as he breathed in the wonderful scent of Miles’ clothes. 

“Why were you alone on your birthday?” Alex asked quietly after a long period of silence, not bothering to lift his head from Miles’ shoulder. 

“What?” 

“When we met, you were having your birthday dinner but didn’t have anyone with you.” Alex elaborated. 

“My parents were out of town, and I don’t exactly have many friends in London, besides the insufferable people I work with. Plus, I was… recently single, if you will.” Miles answered calmly, like he was commenting on the weather. 

“Recently single?” Alex asked, now intrigued. 

“Well not recently, it happened about three months ago. But we were together for a while, so it was a little difficult.” 

“I’m sorry, Mi,” he replied quietly, scooting closer to the man beside him. 

“Oh it’s alright, I found out he was basically dating me for my money, the things I bought him, the places we went. But it’s not all bad, that’s how I knew you were different, I’ve never been on a date where someone actually scolded me for paying.” Miles let out a little chuckle, and Alex did too. 

“Well he’s awful, but I hate to inform you, I’m only dating you because you’re hot.” Alex joked, which caused a roar of laughter to come from Miles. 

“Thank God, I was almost concerned! And honestly, I should’ve seen it coming. Typical social climber, always posting everything we did on Instagram, always wanted to go to the new clubs with the celebrities because he knew I could get us in, stuff like that.” Alex just quietly nodded, while trying to remember which social media Instagram was. He’d have to ask Charlie about that. 

Miles miraculously produced a second bottle of champagne, commenting that he had guessed Alex would want more, and they sat and laughed with each other until the beginning of a sunset began to creep upon them. After the second bottle was finished, Miles began to pack their things. 

“I think I’m drunk,” Miles declared, unsteadily standing up from the blanket. 

“Uh oh, someone can’t handle their champagne!” Alex giggled, almost certainly just as intoxicated as his partner was. 

“I was only trying to keep up with you, you drink like your favorite football team just won!” 

“Oh, love, I’ve warned people before: trying to keep up with me will get ya killed.” Alex was still sat on the blanket, relishing in the evening sun, and Miles was standing above him like an angel, cackling. 

“Let’s go get dinner! I’ll have my driver pick us up.” 

“That poor bastard, having to pick up two drunkards from the fuckin’ park.” Alex commented, once again making Miles laugh hysterically. 

Once they were picked up, Miles told his dutiful driver to take them to a local restaurant, and he told Miles his car would be back in his apartment garage before tomorrow morning. 

“Miles! I’m not dressed for this!” Alex said as he walked into the restaurant, every bit of a five star establishment. 

“Me dad’s friends with the owner. I could come in here in pajamas if I liked.” Miles shrugged, taking Alex’ hand as they headed to the hostess stand. 

“A table for two, please.” Miles asked politely to the hostess, who in turn smiled brightly at him. 

“Of course, Mr. Kane. Right this way.” She led them to a beautiful table in the back, candles already lit, wine glasses already sat on the table. 

“Spoiled.” Was all Alex said as they took their seats. 

“Absolutely rotten,” Miles replied, grinning at Alex. 

Alex sat and behaved well as Miles ordered their drinks, ordered their appetizers, and instructed the waiter that his dinner partner was on a strictly meat free diet, to which Miles was assured that there would be no meat products in Alex’ dinner. Miles was polite but also authoritative, which made Alex involuntarily clench in his seat. The thought of not getting laid in months occurred to him more than once, but he tried his best to dismiss his thoughts and focus on the incredible time they were having. 

“How’s the wine?” Miles asked as they were waiting for their appetizers. 

“Amazing. _This_ is amazing, Mi. I’ve only ever worked at places like this.” Miles just smirked at Alex, and Alex felt the beginnings of an erection stirring in his groin. He knew it was only because he was slightly intoxicated, but he was having a hard time keeping himself from jumping over the table to be able to taste that same wine on Miles’ lips. 

“Wait till the food comes out, you’ll be blown away!” Miles replied cheerfully. _God, just let me blow you_ , Alex thought, also imagining what those slim, long fingers could do to him. Just as he was about to reply, the waiter returned with their appetizers, so Alex was spared the difficult task of forming words in his lust filled mind. 

Alex had to admit, the food was absolutely amazing, and as they moved through their different courses, he was continually stunned, putting the easy meat free dishes he made at home to absolute shame. 

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed when not only was he served a Wellington, but a completely vegan one. 

“I might’ve asked the chef to do something special when I went to the bathroom. And since I supposed you’ve never had a proper one, I knew that this would be the best place to try a veggie one.” Miles said proudly, tucking into his own entree which consisted of duck with mushroom confit, accompanied by some potatoes aligot. 

“Miles, I-“ Alex was at a loss for words; his dietary habits had always been a source of mockery and jokes, no one had actually taken them seriously before. For the first time, he was eating a meal with someone who didn’t want to make Alex a joke, and also cared enough to make sure his needs were met. Alex suddenly realized we felt secure, but somehow vulnerable at the same time, and that was why his heart was doing somersaults in his chest. “Thank you,” He settled on, looking into Miles’ eyes that reflected that same admiration. And for once, he knew for sure it wasn’t the wine talking. 

“It’s really the least I could do. And thankfully, I have the ability to make this happen.” Miles smiled, his eyes were bright, and he reached over the table to take Alex’ hand. Alex immediately took it, and squeezed it lightly while smiling back at him. 

“You’re amazing.” Alex said, after almost losing himself in Miles’ chocolate abyss of eyes. Miles just chuckled, shaking his head slightly before looking at Alex again, with that same dreamy look he had in his eyes earlier. They finished dinner silently, resorting to just staring at each other and smiling while they ate instead. 

After they finished dessert and Miles paid the bill, they stumbled out of the restaurant giggling at a random comment Alex had made about the waitstaff. Miles’ driver was already waiting for them outside, and they piled into the car sloppily. 

“Alfred, please take us home.” Miles slurred, not bothering with his seatbelt as he pulled Alex close. 

“Of course, Sir.” Alfred replied, sneakily catching a glance at the two lovebirds in the back seat.

“Alfred?” Alex asked, “like Batman’s butler?” His comment made Miles laugh, and even Alfred himself let out a small chuckle. 

“I’m afraid so, Mr. Turner.” Alfred answered. 

“Well that’s pretty fucking cool, mate.” Alex said, all of his gracefulness with words completely gone. The rest of the ride home was less eventful, Alex content on being glued to Miles’ side as Miles played with his hair. By the time they finally reach Miles’ building, Alex had slowly wound down into a peaceful doze. 

“Al, love, we’re here.” Miles’ grip on Alex tightened slightly to rouse him, and Alex slowly opened his eyes but only moved his body closer to Miles’. 

“Let’s sleep here,” Alex tried to protest, with his hands under Miles’ jacket holding him close. 

“I don’t think Alfred would like that, love. Come on, let’s go inside.” Miles finally got Alex out of the car, and he thanked Alfred again for driving them. Miles put his arm around Alex’ shoulder, guiding him up to his apartment. 

“Let’s get in bed, yeah?” Miles proposed once they’d gotten inside, and Alex only nodded in response, still clinging to him. 

This time, instead of Miles leaving Alex with the guest room, he took them both to his bedroom. Feeling no shame, only wine-induced sleepiness, Alex shed his clothes until he was only dressed in boxers and climbed under the covers. Miles followed promptly, and as soon as he was situated in bed Alex cuddled up to him. 

“I had the best day ever, Mi.” Alex said tiredly, pressing a soft kiss to Miles’ shoulder. 

“Me too, Al, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” 

—

The next morning they woke up in similar positions to that in which they fell asleep in. The only difference to last night was Alex’ morning erection poking stubbornly into Miles’ thigh. He looked over at Alex, still sleeping peacefully, but beginning to stir. It had been a long time since Miles had someone in his bed with him, doing anything as innocent as sleeping. He ran his hand through Alex’ hair, quietly hoping that he never dreamed of getting it cut. Alex finally opened his eyes as Miles pet him, smiling up at him sleepily. 

“Hi,” Alex greeted, repositioning himself so that he was on his back. 

“Good morning,” Miles turned on his side so he could get a better look at Alex, his pale chest exposed in the morning light, and his hair mussed from sleep. He propped himself up on his elbow to be able to give Alex a kiss on his forehead, which caused Alex to smile so big the corners of his eyes crinkled. Alex was finally completely awake, and all of his senses were in overdrive with Miles so close to him. The duvet had fallen around Miles’ hips, and Alex was graced with the sight of a half naked Miles, which did nothing to settle his morning arousal. 

“Miles, you’re absolutely ripped.” Alex blurted out, staring at his toned stomach and chest. He felt like his mouth could start watering at any moment, and he had to tear his eyes away lest he lose composure. 

Thankfully for Alex, Miles just laughed at him. But to his absolute terror and delight, Miles moved the blankets further off of him, to give Alex a complete view. “I need to start going to the gym more often, I’ve fallen off since I moved here.” He commented coolly, moving his attention from Alex to himself. 

“Yeah,” Alex choked out, panicking inwardly as he felt his erection growing. In a desperate attempt to hide his condition, he flipped himself over into his stomach, groaning at the sudden friction. 

“You alright? I’m actually not as hungover as I thought I would be.” 

Miles was talking and talking and Alex was just trying to keep himself from grinding against the mattress. “Yeah no… I’m good… Just, hungry, are you?” 

“Absolutely. I could get something delivered if you wanted, I don’t feel like cooking.” Miles went to find his phone, and started looking through menus of places that delivered. 

“I’m gonna go take a piss, is that door to the bathroom?” Alex pointed and Miles looked in that direction, confirmed, and then went back to his phone. Alex practically darted to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and immediately wrapped his hand around his dick. He couldn’t believe he could be so worked up just from looking at Miles, but when he looked down he couldn’t deny it was the truth. 

There was no way that his boner would go away any time soon, and he cursed at himself when he saw a drop of precum on his boxers. _Are you fucking serious_ , he muttered, before moving to stand in front of the toilet and sliding his boxers down. A few rough tugs later and his legs were shaking, and he rested his free hand on the back of the toilet to steady himself. Miraculously, as he came, he was aimed directly above the bowl, so there was no mess. But unfortunately, his hand slipped as his body jerked forward and he knocked a few things off the back of the toilet, and he scrambled to clean himself up and place everything back. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, inspecting himself in front of the mirror. He hadn’t made a mess of himself, his breathing was evening out, and he was only slightly flushed. He calmly walked back into the bedroom and slid under the covers, and thankfully Miles was still on his phone, ordering breakfast. He smiled as Alex cuddled up close, taking a peak at what he had picked out. 

“That looks good,” Alex commented, clearing his throat. 

“It’ll be here in 20 minutes.” Miles said sweetly, wrapping his arms around Alex. Now that Alex could actually relax, he laid his head on Miles’ chest and dared to place a hand on his toned waist. “And you know,” Miles began, his voice almost like a purr, “you could always ask me to help you out next time.” Alex went stiff, and then turned the darkest shade of red. 

“Next time,” Alex choked out.


	6. How's Your Meal So Far?

It was a miraculous recovery on Alex’ part that allowed him to handle the rest of the morning. It was extremely difficult, however, because it seemed as if all of the gentlemanly ways of Miles had been officially excused, and he was trying his hardest to make Alex lose his cool.   
First it was his comment about Alex’ embarrassing bathroom incident, then it was a nonchalant slap to Alex’ ass as he was getting a drink from the refrigerator. Alex constantly found Miles in his personal space; always staying close and the very obvious move of his to forgo putting on a shirt. It wasn’t that these were things Alex didn’t want; he had been daydreaming about this for weeks, and he found himself becoming intoxicated by the skin on skin contact and Miles’ delicious scent, accompanied by many heated looks. It was as if not only had something been unleashed in Alex, but Miles as well. 

“Miles.” Alex said, as Miles was running a culpable hand through his hair and along his neck.

“Yes?” He used a certain tone, one that could make Alex come undone any day, not bothering to take his eyes off the piece of skin that he’d probably rather be sucking on than touching. 

“You are being such a fucking tease.” Alex breathed out, moving from where he was sitting on the couch in order to face him. 

“Come here,” Miles stated, and Alex instantly obeyed. Instead of casually moving closer to Miles, Alex straddled him, taking his seat on his lap. Miles gently brushed away the hair that was falling into Alex’ eyes before cupping his face to pull him into a kiss. As they deepened the kiss, Alex started grinding down on Miles’ lap, wrapping his arms around his neck. Miles’ hands went to Alex’ waist, guiding his movements. Miles was completely in control, and Alex melted like putty into Miles’ beautiful hands. Alex sucked on Miles’ tongue as Miles gripped him hard, pushing his ass to rub against his dick. Feeling Miles’ thick, hard cock under him made Alex moan into his mouth, which almost came out as a whine. He wanted everything from Miles, and he wanted it rough and fast. They separated for only a moment to catch their breaths, and Alex moved down to Miles’ jaw to bite and suck on the stubble he had there. 

“Alex, wait,” Miles panted. 

“Let’s go to the bedroom,” Alex said quickly, grabbing Miles’ hands as he moved from on top of him. 

“I don’t have any condoms or lube, love. It’s, uh, been a minute...” Miles said, slightly embarrassed as he scratched the back of his neck. However, Alex had other plans, as he dropped down to his knees and started taking off Miles’ pants. “Wait, Al,” Miles tried but Alex quickly hushed him. 

“Let me,” was all he said, discarding Miles’ boxers. 

“You sure?” 

“Please, yes.” He took Miles’ hardened cock in his hands, and slowly licked across the head. _God he’s huge_ , Alex thought, and the image of Miles deep inside him almost made him dizzy. Alex began sucking gently, one hand cupping his balls while the other worked Miles’ shaft. Miles buried his hands into Alex’ mane and pulled, causing Alex to moan and take more of Miles in his mouth. He pulled off and licked Miles from the bottom to top, placing a sweet kiss to his head before taking him completely. Miles let out a shuttered moan as he pulled Alex’ hair even tighter, which only provoked Alex to suck on him more fervently. Alex came up to catch his breath, still working him with hands. He looked up at Miles, his eyes watering and spit dripping off his chin, his pale cheeks flushed and his lips glistening, and Miles could only describe the sight as angelic. Alex began sucking him again, and he could tell that Miles was close to coming. He felt excitement build inside him, he couldn’t wait for Miles to come down his throat. As his head bobbed up and down fast and sloppily, Miles was completely coming undone, pulling on Alex’ hair and moaning shamelessly. He came with a cry and a string of curses, and Alex smiled inwardly as he felt Miles’ throbbing dick in his mouth. Alex swallowed Miles’ load and licked his dick clean, causing Miles to shiver. 

“Christ,” Miles said finally, helping Alex back onto the couch. Miles wiped his mouth with his thumb and pulled him in for another kiss, much sweeter than the ones they shared before. 

They spent the rest of their Sunday afternoon laying around, Alex dozing on Miles’ lap as they continued to order delivery and watch ridiculous television. Alex was quite pleased with himself, and Miles was being so sweet; turning from pure sexual energy to the most tender lover there could possibly be. If he wasn’t sure before, Alex was absolutely certain now that there was no place he’d rather be. 

—

During Alex’ next shift, he very happily recounted his weekend with Miles to Charlie, although he left out some of the more explicit details. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happy to find out another man is hung,” Charlie commented with a dumbfounded look on his face. Alex couldn’t help but laugh, he was absolutely delighted. 

“I, uh, don’t think I’ve ever been happier, to find out, ya know,” Alex gestured to Charlie vaguely, and thankfully Charlie caught on. 

“Well, fuck, congrats man! Also, I did some sleuthing for you, since you have no idea how to use technology.” 

“Sleuthing?” Alex raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s got an Instagram, ya know.”

“Oh yeah, I was gonna ask you what that was!” Alex said. 

Charlie rolled his eyes, giving Alex an exasperated, “Oh my god!” He sighed before continuing, “It's where you post pictures, basically. If you didn’t already know, he’s absolutely loaded. Like, private jets, designer clothes, everything.”

“Well I knew he was fairly wealthy, won’t let me pay for a damn thing.” 

“What’s interesting is that his personal Instagram doesn’t show any of that shit, he only posts some selfies and shit about music, nice views of places he’s been. But his ex, I suppose, posted a ton of pictures of their lavish lifestyle together.” 

“Oh, he told me, well, he told me about his ex boyfriend. Right prick, using him for his status.” 

“Shame. But anyway, what I’m saying is, don’t fuck this up, you could be living like royalty, dude.” As he finished, Alex could practically see the dollar signs in Charlie’s eyes. 

“Well I actually really like him, ya know? I think it’ll work out.”

“I know I’m straight and all, but I’ll gladly put my pride aside if he’s giving out checks.” 

“You’re insane.” Alex laughed, before returning to what he was actually there for, to work. 

—

For the next couple of weeks, everything was going swimmingly for Alex and Miles. Alex took more time off of work to be able to see Miles more often, which was terrible for money but he couldn’t care less. They spent lazy Sundays together, boozy Friday nights, went to brunch on Saturdays, and spent weekdays love making. On days that they couldn’t spend together, they spent their nights talking on the phone until one of them fell asleep, and on most nights that was Alex. Everything was beautiful; that was, until Miles told Alex that he would be leaving the country for three weeks. 

“Three weeks? But that’s… so long…” Alex complained, and Miles could hear his pout through the phone. 

“I know, love. Unfortunately that’s a part of my job.” Miles certainly would rather stay in London with Alex, lazing away weekend after weekend instead of back to back business meetings. His father was trying to get the support of more investors, so it was up to someone to butter them up and get them to open their checkbooks. 

“When do you leave?” Miles could hardly stand how pitiful Alex sounded, all the happiness in his voice gone. 

“Next week. Thursday.” Miles didn’t even want to say it, because that made it real and true, despite everything already being booked and ready. 

“Can I see you before then?” Alex asked quietly, firmly stuck in a pouting routine. 

“Of course! I wouldn’t be able to leave without seeing you.” Miles words succeeded in putting somewhat of a smile on Alex’ face, but he was still thoroughly upset. 

“I’ll miss you, ya know.” 

“Don’t start that now, I’m already dreading having to go.”

Alex hummed in response, not sure exactly what to say. 

“Al,” Miles said after a moment of silence, “it’s late, and I know you have to work in the morning…”

“Please don’t go, I wanna keep talking to ya,” Alex was definitely whining now, but that only managed to make Miles smile. 

“Alright, I’ll stay on. But go ahead and get ready for bed, yeah?”

When Miles knew Alex was completely tucked in, they continued talking about other things, with Miles quietly telling Alex sweet nothings as he cozied up under his blankets. He drifted off while Miles was still speaking gently to him, Miles only hanging up once he heard a snore and a heavy breath came across the line.


	7. Despair In The Departure Lounge

When they were finally able to see each other, it was Wednesday afternoon. Thankfully Miles had finished up everything that needed to be done before his trip, save for a few last things to throw in his suitcase, so he and Alex could actually spend the night together. Alex arrived perfectly on time to Miles’ flat, knocking gently on the door. Miles opened the door and let him in, swallowing his small frame with a hug once he was inside. 

“Do you want a drink?” Miles asked.

“No, I’m alright. I’d rather keep a clear head tonight.” Alex was decidedly gloomy, standing awkwardly in Miles’ living room. “Actually fuck it, I would like a drink.”

“What would you like to do tonight? Movies and takeout?” Miles had his back to Alex, making them drinks at the small drink table on the wall. 

“Sure. Also, I brought you something. It’s absolutely sappy but it’d make me feel better if you had it.” Alex had in his hands an old oversized shirt, one that he slept in almost every night. He’d felt daft the entire ride over, hoping Miles wouldn’t mock him for it. Having his partner leaving for such a period of time was a totally new concept to him, and he hated it. 

“You’ve got me a present?” Miles said as he turned with two drinks in his hands. 

“I suppose, yeah.” Alex apprehensively handed him the shirt, and Miles handed him his drink. Setting his drink on the table, Miles unfolded the shirt, which had a faded Yorkshire rose printed on the front. He grinned at the gesture, lifting it to see if it smelled like Alex, and it did. 

“Thank you, love.” Miles pulled Alex into another hug, planting kiss after kiss on his cheek and forehead. “I’ll wear this every night.” 

Alex was finally smiling, wrapping his arms around Miles’ waist as he relaxed into his kisses. “I’m gonna miss this a lot,” Alex said quietly, not daring to pull away from Miles’ arms. 

“Me too, love. Here, wait a minute. I’ll be right back.” Miles detached himself from Alex and disappeared down the hall, and reappeared after a few minutes. “Since I’ve got a new night shirt, I want you to have mine.” He had a broad smile on his face, and Alex’ heart did flips inside his chest.

After their stand up cuddle in the living room, Miles led them out to the terrace. Alex didn’t realize how badly he needed a cigarette until Miles lit two and handed him one, breathing in the smoke like his lungs might quit working if he didn’t. Alex looked over the city as they smoked and drank, watching as the world went by around them. Miles, however, was more content to watch Alex, watching as the breeze blew his hair around his face, how his eyes fluttered closed as he took a drag, the way the various lights of the city highlighted his eyelashes and cheekbones. He told himself to remember this, to have a little snapshot of Alex while he was gone. He watched as Alex flicked his cigarette off the balcony and gently tilted his head back as he drained the contents of his cup, before turning his attention on Miles. 

“Would you like another?” Miles asked, and Alex just nodded in response. They slowly made their way inside, mostly in silence. Miles had learned that Alex’ silence was his unique way of computing things, and he had that particular look in his eyes that told Miles that he was deep in thought. Miles made more drinks and took the liberty of picking a film for them, joining Alex on the couch. 

“Come here, love.” Miles said, and Alex took his usual spot of curling up next to Miles, pulling his knees up. “What’re you thinking about?”

“How much I’m gonna miss you. And who’s gonna water your plants?” 

Miles couldn’t help but chuckle and plant a kiss on the top of his head. “If it’ll make you feel better, you can come by and water them.”

Miles continued to make them drinks throughout the film, he didn’t mind since he’d picked one he basically had memorized. Alex was drinking a little quicker than usual, and also being a little bit needier, always reaching out to hold Miles’ hand or just have any form of contact. Miles realized this was completely new for Alex, while he was definitely more accustomed to spending more time away from his partners because of his schedule. He decided not to pry, and just refilled his glass when he needed it and made sure to always give him one or two extra kisses.   
Once the credits were rolling, their empty Chinese takeout boxes were strewn about the coffee table, and Alex was drunk. His eyes were glossy, his cheeks were red and he lit a cigarette right there on the couch before his drugged brain could detect his mistake. Miles just led him to the balcony, not exactly caring about his apartment’s no smoking policy. He was certainly a little tipsy, but not nearly as intoxicated as Alex was. 

“Oh! Miles! I totally forgot to show you this thing!” He dropped his cigarette out of his hand as he tried to fish his phone out of his pocket, a drawn out “fuck” coming out of his mouth as he unsteadily bent down to pick it up. Sloppily getting the hair out of his face, he beckoned Miles over to show him his discovery. “So I was talking to Charlie, do you know him?” Miles politely nodded, “Well, he showed me that, you can do this thing called FaceTime, I think, where it’s like, a phone call, but, a video at the same time. So we can like, video each other, but it’s live.” Miles just cackled at Alex and decided to kiss him instead of giving him a response. Alex smiled into the kiss, instantly putting his arms around Miles’ shoulders. 

Miles broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Alex’. “I’ll FaceTime you every night, so you can see me in your shirt.” 

“Ok, Mi,” Alex said quietly, giving Miles a quick peck before fumbling for another cigarette. 

—

The rest of the night was quite a blur, a few moments of tenderness here and there was all Alex remembered when he was awoken the next morning -far too early- by Miles’ alarm. Before he could even make sense of his surroundings Miles was already out of the bed and starting up the shower, calling Alex to join him. 

“You could probably use a shower,” Miles commented as Alex trudged into the bathroom. 

“I think I’m still drunk.” Alex said, ignoring Miles’ comment. His mind was so foggy, he hardly realized he was actually in the shower now, with Miles gently wetting his hair. 

“I meant to tell you this last night, but you were pretty drunk so I refrained,” Miles stated, Alex lost in how Miles’ fingers felt in his hair as he massaged his scalp with expensive shampoo.

“What?” Alex replied, trying to come out of his trance. 

“Since I’ll be gone, I want you to have some security. I’ll be giving you one of my credit cards.”

“Why?” Alex asked incredulously, still standing obediently as Miles washed his hair. 

“I know you’ve been taking off of work lately to see me, and I know money hasn’t been as steady as usual as well.” His tone was very matter-of-fact and business like, Alex could only go along with what Miles was saying. “It’s just to make me feel comfortable, is all. I’d like for you to pay your rent and bills for this month with it, as well as any other expenses you have while I’m gone.” 

“I can’t just spend your money like that, Miles.” Alex protested, still letting Miles guide his body under the water to rinse his hair. 

“You can, and you will.” The authority in Miles voice let Alex know there would be no further discussion, so he simply nodded in agreement. 

Once they finished showering and dressing, Miles made sure he had everything packed. Alex sat himself on the bed, watching Miles as he checked his bag and his appearance. “You look great, love,” Alex commented as he watched Miles fix his hair in the mirror. 

Miles smiled and went to Alex, giving him a long kiss on the cheek. He muttered his thanks in between kisses, before leaving the room. He reappeared shortly, digging in his wallet in front of Alex. He pulled out a thick golden credit card, nothing flimsy and made of a cheap material, but surprisingly made of either metal or a very hard plastic. “Jesus”, Alex muttered, looking over the card. “Do only rich people get cards this fancy?” He asked, almost as a joke. 

“Probably.” Miles replied with an ounce of seriousness. There he was, dressed in a suit, with glossy dress shoes and perfect hair, looking down at Alex. Comparatively, Alex had on a denim jacket and jeans, with a ratty t-shirt and dirty sneakers. 

“I’m out of my league.” Alex said, hoping he was quiet enough to where Miles didn’t hear him. 

“Nah, you’re just not used to it.” Miles gave him a wink and left him, once again focusing on his luggage or his phone. 

“What if I lose it?” 

“I’ll get another one.” Miles said this as if it was the most common knowledge there was, shrugging as he spoke. 

“Ok then. When’s your flight?” 

“Two and a half hours. Planned on getting brekky. What do you want?” 

— 

Alex followed Miles to breakfast, and after eating rode with him to the airport. Alex swore to himself he wouldn’t cry, but a few tears certainly fell as he said his goodbyes. Miles gently wiped them away, promising him he’d be back before he knew it, and that he’d call him as soon as he landed in New York. 

“Why does this feel like some cheesy romcom?” Alex asked, trying to lighten the mood despite himself. 

“Because you’re too sweet, Al.” Miles smiled fondly at Alex, kissing his tear-stained cheeks. “Don’t worry, love, go home and take a nap. Rest, yeah? I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

“Ok. I’ll miss you, I hope you know that,” Alex was holding onto Miles like his life depended on it, not caring if he made wrinkles in his suit. 

“I’ll miss you too, darling.” Miles wrapped his arms around Alex, taking in the scent of his hair and how he felt in his arms. Another thing to remember. Kissing his cheekbone, earlobe, temple, and forehead, Miles was regretting not bringing Alex along with him. “Next time, you’ll come with me, yeah?”

“Next time,” choking back tears, Alex nodded. 

It was time for Miles to head to the departure lounge, and for Alfred to take Alex back to his flat. They kissed and hugged once more, and Miles left Alex standing in front of the escalators. He waved and blew kisses until Alex was out of sight, and once he was sure Alex was completely gone, he let his smile fade into a more somber demeanor; he was equally as unhappy about this as Alex was. Alex made his out of the airport, meeting Alfred. He couldn't hide his tears as he made his way back, thoroughly embarrassed he was having a proper cry in front of almost a complete stranger. 

“I’m sorry that the only times you’ve seen me is when I’m drunk or crying,” Alex told the driver, once again trying to lighten the mood. “I’m afraid I haven’t made the best impression.”

“Mr. Kane has told me many wonderful things about you, Mr. Turner. You have nothing to apologize for.” 

“I’m very glad to hear that, Alfred.”


	8. Baby, I'm Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Distance makes the heart grow fonder

Just as he promised, Alex received a phone call later that night. He’d already set himself up for bed, languidly smoking a cigarette while reading a few pages of a book he’d bought with Miles’ card. He still felt weird about it, but it was what Miles wanted. 

“Hey, Mi,” Alex said sweetly into the phone, pulling the sheets a little closer. 

“You sound as tired as I feel.”

“It’s late, I was waiting on you.” Alex was tired, he’d picked up the book to try and keep his eyes open, but that only relaxed him further. “How was your flight?”

“It was nice, I tried to sleep more than anything. Flying over the ocean always kinda gives me the creeps.” Alex could tell that Miles was probably already settled into his hotel, he heard a slight rustling on the other end that sounded like sheets being pulled back. 

“I’d be terrified, honestly. I think I’d shit meself,” Alex chuckled at his remark, which was returned by Miles. 

“The first time I flew this long I was a mess. I had to drink myself to sleep to calm down.” 

They talked for quite a while, despite seeing each other earlier that day. Miles told Alex he’d want to FaceTime the next day, once he’d finished up his first string of meetings. He promised he’d take plenty of pictures during his stay, and maybe he could FaceTime Alex when he did some sightseeing around the city. 

“Stay on the line until I fall asleep?” Alex asked, his voice filled with fatigue and a slight hint of sadness. 

“Of course. I miss you already,” Miles replied. 

Alex sighed and closed his eyes, lighting up one last cigarette. “I miss you too. London’s dreary again.” 

“I’m already counting down the days, love.” Miles continued to say the sweetest things to Alex until he fell asleep, whispering goodnight wishes that wouldn’t be heard. 

—

“Charlie, this whole thing is rubbish,” Alex complained, keeping up his sulking act. 

“I had to leave my girlfriend in Toronto for a while when I went to train in Italy. It’s not that bad.” 

“Maybe for you it’s not, but I hate it.” 

“Have you talked to him since he left?” Charlie asked, looking up from his cutting board. 

“Yeah, I’ve talked to him every day. Even did that face video thing you told me about.” 

“And he hasn’t been acting weird or anything?” 

“No, no he’s been the same Mi as usual.” 

“Then don’t worry about it, dude.”

Alex continued to sulk about the restaurant for the rest of his shift, and when they finished closing up Charlie all but dragged Alex to the nearest pub. 

“Charlie… I just don’t think I’m up for it tonight…” Alex shrugged his jacket off as he slid into the booth, suspiciously eyeing his coworker. 

“Oh come on, just a few pints. Anything to keep you from moping everywhere. I’ll get the first round.” 

“Here, I’ve got it. Miles gave me his credit card.” Alex handed it over with a sigh, while Charlie stood with his mouth agape. 

“Are you fuckin’ serious? And your moping?” He let out an incredulous sound and shook his head, pretending to weigh the object in his hand. Alex waved him off, and Charlie walked happily to the bar. He returned shortly with some beers, and Alex slightly hoped that he’d gotten something a little stronger. 

“Do you want a shot? It’s on me, obviously.” Alex took a sip of his beer before getting up from the booth. 

“Sure, I guess. Canadian whiskey, if they’ve got it.” He jabbed, trying his best to get a rise out of Alex. 

“No fucking way, that shit’s rank.” 

Alex came back with two shots of Jameson, specifically picking the Irish whiskey to spite Charlie. “Alright then, mate.” Alex said, raising his glass before tapping it on the table and knocking it back, the chef across from him mirroring his actions. He chased down his shot with a large gulp of his beer, feeling much better than he did 15 minutes ago. 

“Are any of your friends out tonight?” Charlie asked after he came back with a second round of shots and beers. 

“They’re back home, in Sheffield. And probably equally tired of me complaining about my state. It’s barely been a week and I want to rip me hair out.” Alex sighed and took his shot like the glass was filled with water, moving back to his beer seamlessly. 

Charlie, being the responsible one, bought them one last round before paying the tab. Alex had to admit, going out instead of going home and waiting on Miles to call was a nice change of pace. They stayed in their booth chatting for a while, Charlie never being unable to add a quip to whatever Alex was talking about. He was actually laughing, which he hadn’t done much in the last few days, and by the time they decided to head out, Alex felt much lighter than he had earlier.

“Thanks for hanging out while I’m such a miserable bastard, mate.” Alex said as they were leaving. 

“Anything for a friend.” 

—

Alex fell asleep -or passed out- quicker than he had expected that night, and when he woke, confused, the next morning, he had two missed calls and a few texts from Miles. He felt horrible for missing his calls, and he read the messages from him with a bit of guilt swimming around in his stomach.

_Mi ❤️: Just about finished up for today, I’ll call you soon X_

_Mi ❤️: Did you go to bed early? Tried to call X_

_Mi ❤️: Alright sleeping beauty, I’m going to bed. I’ll try you again tomorrow_

He wanted to call Miles immediately, but after checking the time Alex realized it was only a quarter after 5 AM for Miles, and he would most definitely still be asleep. Sitting up in bed, he took a quick selfie (which Miles taught him how to do), and attached it to the message he sent.

_Alex: Hey babe, sorry I missed your call last night! I went out with Charlie for a few pints. Good morning from home X_

He smiled as he added the X at the end of the text, just like Miles always did. He slowly made his way out of bed, not bothering to change out of pajamas just yet, and went out into the kitchen to start the coffee machine. Checking his fridge, he was less than impressed with its contents. He was out of eggs, cheese, and any kind of fresh vegetable. It seemed as though his only choice was a jar of pickles and various bottles of sauces. He made his coffee and sat at the table, lighting up a cigarette to try and help quell the rumbling in his stomach. He pulled out his phone to send Miles another text, and to check if he had maybe woken up. 

_Alex: Gonna have to use your card to get brekky and go grocery shopping today, hope you don’t mind love ❤️_

Alex reluctantly changed out of Miles’ baggy shirt and into something presentable, and headed out to eat and do his shopping. Throughout running his errands, he checked his phone almost obsessively to see if Miles had contacted him; unfortunately, all he received was a short response. 

_Mi ❤️: Hey love, I’ve a super busy day today with meetings. I’ll call you as soon as I can X_

He didn’t hear from Miles for the rest of the day, and it was far into the night, and even farther into Alex’ drinking, by the time his phone began to ring. 

“Fuck! I thought you’d died!” Alex exclaimed as soon as he picked up the phone. 

“Well hello to you too!” Miles said, chuckling at Alex’ dramatics. 

“Hey baby,” Alex’ tone was much sweeter this time around, and it was now that Miles noticed the slight slur of his words. 

“Drinking without me, huh?” He asked in a mock offended tone. 

“Perhaps. Let me face video you.” Another chuckle escaped from Miles at Alex’ whining, but he couldn’t deny his boy. 

“I’m in the elevator. Wait until I’m in my room.” 

“Yes sir,” Alex said teasingly, to which Miles just rolled his eyes. 

“You’re feeling a little feisty tonight, aren’t ya?” Miles lowered his tone to that quiet purr that Alex loved so much. 

“Maybe,” Alex replied, grinning wickedly to himself. 

“I’ll be in my room in a moment.” Miles said authoritatively, before hanging up abruptly. Alex enjoyed this sort of power play, and had no problem with Miles bossing him around. He poured himself another drink and slinked into his bedroom, took off his trousers, and changed into an expensive pair of black silky briefs he’d bought to impress a former flame. He succeeded last time, so he was sure it would work just as well this time around. Slipping into Miles’ shirt, he positioned himself on his bed and lit a cigarette, waiting for the familiar buzz of his phone. It wasn’t a minute later his screen lit up, and he quickly answered. 

“Well look at you,” Alex said, running a hand through his hair. 

“No, look. At. You.” Miles was staring at Alex hungrily, and even across the ocean Alex could see Miles’ eyes darken. Miles was shirtless, showing off his amazing body with only a pair of track pants obstructing a full view. 

“Let me see you.” Alex basically pleaded, wishing he could move the camera himself. 

“I get to see you first, love,” Miles countered, and he barely finished his sentence before Alex was complying. Alex panned the camera over his body, pulling up his shirt so Miles could fully see his briefs and a tiny strip of stomach, before rolling over to showcase how those briefs hugged his ass. Miles cooed as Alex showed himself off, giggling at how Miles ogled at him. With one last pan over his front, purposefully showing Miles his growing bulge, Alex brought the camera back up to his face. 

“Your turn!” Alex whined, giggles still bubbling in his chest. He grabbed his pack off the bedside table and lit another, his last cigarette forgotten and ashes scattered about his sheets. 

Miles blew a kiss to Alex and panned over his chiseled chest, showing Alex every bit of his body he so desperately wanted to kiss and nibble on. Once he made it to those bastard track pants, Miles took a hold of his member and gave it a pull, letting Alex know exactly what he was missing. Alex breathed out a few curses as Miles slowly palmed himself, biting his lip as his newly lit cigarette was threatening to slip between his fingers. Much to the dismay of Alex, Miles moved the camera back up to his face, before switching the camera to where the view was of his hotel room. 

“Let me show you the view I have of the city,” Miles said calmly as he climbed off the bed towards the window. 

“I don’t care about the bloody city, ya know” Alex complained, finally remembering the burning stoge in his hand. If Miles’ plan was to tease Alex until he was a begging mess, he was succeeding. 

“Finish your cigarette first.” Miles commanded, and Alex was about to just do away with it until Miles stopped him. “I said finish it.” Alex was still staring out of Miles’ window, looking at all the blurry lights as he tried to quickly smoke. “Now don’t go and make yourself choke, love. Slowly.” 

“I’d rather be choking on your dick,” Alex said, forcefully blowing smoke out of his nose. 

“Naughty.” Miles said, before switching the camera back on himself and climbing back into bed. He waited patiently as Alex unenthusiastically smoked, pouting at Miles the entire time. 

“You’re terrible.” Alex whined, even though he was teeming with excitement at what Miles might tell him to do next. 

Once his cigarette was finished, Miles gave Alex his next instruction. “I want to touch yourself through those cute little briefs you’ve got on.” Alex didn’t even reply before moving his free hand down to his neglected dick, letting out an obscene moan. “Let me see you.” Miles demanded, to which Alex obeyed without hesitation. Now Miles had a full view of Alex pleasuring himself. 

“Baby, I wanna see it,” Alex groaned, and Miles gave him what he wanted, showing Alex the sizeable bulge in his pants. Soon Alex was beginning to take off his underwear, but again Miles stopped him. 

“I didn’t say you could do that, did I?” He purred. 

“Please? I need to,” Alex begged, arching his back as he palmed himself. This teasing had gone on for almost half an hour, and Alex was about to come undone. “Please, baby, please!”

Miles pretended to think about it before responding, “I suppose, since you asked so nicely. Let me see that pretty cock of yours.” Miles also took out his dick, showing Alex how swollen he was just from watching. “Go ahead, touch yourself for me.” Alex took no time in doing what he was told, hastily grabbing himself. They stared at each other lustfully as they jerked themselves off, only breaking eye contact when one of them threw back their heads or screwed their eyes shut with pleasure. 

“I want you to fuck me so hard when you get home,” Alex breathed, letting go of his dick only to spit on his hand and kept going. 

“I’ll fuck you until you can’t stand up,” Miles replied, pumping himself at the same pace as Alex. 

Alex’ movements quickly became sloppier, and his breathing shallow, which informed Miles that he was on the edge. “Please, can I come?” Alex pleaded, massaging the head of his extremely sensitive dick. 

“Not yet. I want you to come with me.” Miles whispered, almost as close as Alex was. Watching Alex shamelessly begging Miles for release was one of the most erotic things Miles had ever seen; he couldn’t get enough of it. He took a lot of pleasure in making Alex squirm, his cheeks flushed with desire, every movement lecherous. Just those thoughts alone brought Miles so close to coming all over himself. “Go on, go on babe.” He moaned, and it only took Alex a few sloppy thrusts into his hand until he came with Miles, shouting his curses. Their cries of pleasure were matched, both of them breathing heavily and momentarily forgetting about their phones as they climaxed together. 

Alex broke the silence first as his body reconnected with his brain. “I’m a fucking mess,” he said, quietly chuckling. 

“No, you’re fucking gorgeous.” Miles replied, picking his phone back up to see Alex. 

“I wish you were here,” Alex commented, he was smiling at Miles but there was still a sadness in his eyes that shone through. 

“Me too, love.” Alex saw Miles moving towards what he assumed was the bathroom, and his suspicions were correct as he saw him pick up a towel to wipe the cum off my body. Alex just picked up a discarded piece of clothing from the ground, haphazardly wiping himself off before tossing the garment onto the floor again. 

“How have you been?” Miles asked him, staring at him now with a calm and caring demeanor. 

“Lonely, except I went out last night with Charlie.”

“Did you have fun?” Miles wished so badly he could tuck those unruly curls behind Alex’ ears, and kiss his forehead as they cuddled up together. 

“Yeah, it was nice. Charlie sure was chuffed to use your credit card to pay for our drinks.” Alex smiled then, pulling up his covers so he was effectively tucked in. 

“I’m glad you’ve got someone to keep you company. I miss you a lot.” Miles mirrored Alex’ actions until he was under the covers as well, laying on his side as he talked to Alex. 

“I miss you too. I think I’ve grown too comfortable with you being around, I’ve almost forgotten how to be alone.” 

“I think I have too, I quite like having you near me.” Miles gave Alex a grin, but they both couldn’t get around the fact that missing each other was making them miserable. “I’ve been trying to get all this shit done as quickly as possible, so I might come home a bit sooner.”

“That would be amazing, really.” Alex’ eyelids were beginning to weigh on him, making Miles smile as he watched the sleepy boy on his screen. 

“Do you wanna stay on until we fall asleep?” Miles asked gently, seeing Alex trying to fight to stay awake. 

“Always.”

“Ok, babe, I’m gonna turn off my light.”

“Me too.” 

“Goodnight, Al.”

“Goodnight, Mi.”


	9. Send It Back To The Kitchen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I was on vacation this week :) Enjoy! Also, I didn't really proofread this, so sorry for any mistakes!

By the time the Miles was gone for almost two weeks, Alex was finally getting used to their new routine of somewhat sporadic texts and calls. He knew Miles was honestly giving him his best effort; he could only imagine how draining his work over there was, filled with boring old men and too much paperwork. He began to hang out with Charlie more, grabbing a pint or two after work more often than not. Despite how uncharacteristic for a Canadian he acted, Charlie had become quite the support for Alex while Miles had been gone, and he honestly didn’t think he could ever repay him for not letting him spend so many nights alone.   
On this night, they were once again sitting at the booth they now reserved for themselves, agreeing to have far too many drinks as they miraculously both had the next day off. 

“So Miles will be back in about a week?” Charlie asked. 

“Yes! Fucking finally. It’s gotten easier but I still miss him like hell.” It was easy for Alex to confide in Charlie; they’d been coworkers for the better part of a year now, and Alex had concluded he was one of the very few genuine people he worked with. 

“Good thing we’re getting so drunk tonight you won’t even remember your name, let alone Miles’.” He gave Alex a wink and slid out of the booth, Alex tossing him Miles’ platinum card. 

An hour later, they were just about pissed. Charlie tried to bet Alex he could take more shots than him, and Alex happily agreed. Unfortunately, after Alex had drained the fifth shot with almost scary ease, Charlie forfeited, and handed Alex a tenner. 

“I fuckin’ told ya, you’ll kill yourself trying to keep up with me.” Alex laughed, ordering a round of beers to help them cool off. 

“Where the fuck does it all go?” Charlie commented incredulously, wondering how the alcohol didn’t immediately shoot through his small frame. Charlie thought he’d have a fighting chance, since he, on the other hand, was a typical brute: broad shoulders with a strong jaw -built like a brick shithouse. 

“I’m unstoppable mate.” Alex shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. 

There was a cover band playing at the pub that night, so instead of talking they were drunkenly screaming the lyrics to the songs they knew, or laughing hysterically when they tried to guess the lyrics of the songs they didn’t. The whole pub exploded in applause once they finished, and Alex realized he hadn’t had this much fun since Miles left. 

“This is really nice, just having a night like this,” Alex slurred. 

“Fuck yeah, I’m just glad to get away from my girlfriend more often.” Charlie said, which for some reason caused both of them to laugh. 

“Oh she’s not that bad, mate, come on,” Alex said, still laughing. 

“Nah, she’s amazing.” He said, to which Alex smiled fondly at, letting his thoughts drift to Miles. 

“More beer?” Alex asked, noticing they were getting dangerously close to the bottom of their glasses. 

“Yeah yeah,” Charlie said, fishing out his cigarettes and fumbling with the lighter. 

While Alex was waiting on their beers, someone slid into the seat beside him. Giving them a nod, Alex went on waiting, too drunk to start up any conversation. However, when they spoke, all of Alex’ attention was on them. 

“So you’re the famous Alex, huh?” The stranger asked. 

“I’m sorry?” Alex said, blinking to try and straighten out his vision. 

“Your name is Alex, Alex Turner, right?” They tried again. 

“Yeah, who’s asking?”

“I’m Miles’ boyfriend.” 

“Excuse me?” Alex said rather loudly. His words turned a few heads, including Charlie’s, who immediately got up from the booth to walk over to the bar. 

“Is there a problem here?” Charlie asked sternly, looking between Alex and the stranger. 

“Actually, this is just a conversation between friends, right?” The stranger said “politely” to Alex, who was standing stiff, fuming. 

“Actually,” Charlie said in a mocking tone, “I’m the friend, and I don’t fucking know you.” Charlie moved closer, into their personal space, an accusing finger almost pointing into their chest. 

“Fine, but we will see each other again, Alex.” They said, removing themselves from the barstool and taking their leave. 

“Who the FUCK was that?” Alex practically yelled, glaring at the spot the mysterious man had once sat at. 

“I think I know,” Charlie reluctantly replied, rubbing his temples. He guided Alex back to their booth, telling the bartender to just pour out the beers. “That’s the fucking ex I was telling you about.” 

“Why the fuck would he come up to me? Saying he’s Miles’ boyfriend?” Alex asked frantically, as if Charlie knew all the answers. 

“I don’t know. Especially since Miles told you they were over.” Charlie was trying to connect the pieces in his head, but came up confused each time. 

“For fucking, Jesus, five months know? Why wait this long to harass me?” 

“Because Miles isn’t here.” Charlie finally said, putting together the unsavory bits of information. “He knew you’d be alone, and he’s trying to get in your head, dude.” 

Alex pretended to mule things over, but Charlie noticed how his friend had almost turned green. “I need to boot. And call Miles.” He darted from the booth to the toilets, and Charlie didn’t bother to follow.   
He emerged from the bathroom a while later, looking perfectly undisturbed, which worried Charlie. 

“You alright?” He asked cautiously. 

“Going outside for a smoke.” Alex said, barely acknowledging his presence. He stomped out of the bar, checking once or twice to see if his unwelcome “friend” was still there. When he was sure he wasn’t, he pulled out his phone and dialed Miles’ number. 

After a few rings, Miles answered. “Hey babe, do you mind if I call you back-“

“Absolutely fucking not. Listen to me.” Alex spat. 

“Whoa, what’s going on? I-“

“So your fucking boyfriend showed up tonight. Care to fill me in?” He was a decibel short of screaming into the device, not even holding it up to his ear. 

“Alex,” Miles tried, but once again he was cut off. 

“No, no no no, I want to know who the absolute FUCK that was.” Alex didn’t care how manic he probably looked to strangers walking by, he needed an explanation. 

“I don’t know!” Miles said, exasperated and thoroughly confused. 

“Well he fucking knew who I was. What the hell is this?” 

“Babe, I can assure you-“ 

“Can you? Can you now?” Alex was still shouting into his phone, only taking a break to take an angry drag from his cigarette. 

“Alex, let me speak, please.” Miles said, trying to de-escalate the situation.

“Go on then, go on.” The anger in his voice was palpable. 

“I think it was my ex, you know we didn’t split on the best of terms. I don’t know why he’d seek you out though. I’m sorry, fuck, I didn’t think he’d do this.” 

“Well you’ve put me in one hell of a situation. Fucking hell.” Alex hung up then, not letting Miles even respond. He also ignored all of the incoming calls he received for the next ten minutes, all from Miles. 

Once Alex has come back inside, Charlie decided it was probably best that they went home. He walked Alex home, making sure that no unwelcome visitors bothered him. When they reached Alex’ building, Charlie pulled him in for a hug, the only thing he knew to do. 

“If he shows up again, call me, yeah?” Charlie said. 

“I don’t want you roughin’ anyone up, mate. It’s fine.” Alex shrugged, his head hanging down and his hair obscuring his face. 

“You might not, but I kinda want to teach that cunt a lesson.” 

“Well, thank you. I’ll call you if I need anything.” With that, Alex retreated up the steps and into his apartment. Once he got in, he immediately dumped his tired body onto his bed, not bothering to take anything off besides his shoes. Within minutes he was on the edge of completely passing out, thankful that the alcohol had caught up to him, and also hoping that all of this was just a bad dream.


	10. 86 Alex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for such a delayed update, I keep forgetting to post! I've been pretty busy lately, but I promise I'll be updating more often now :) Also, quick note on the chapter title: "86" is just kitchen slang for when you're out of something.
> 
> And ehhhhh warning for this chapter: excessive alcohol abuse

Back in New York, Miles was a mess. Alex had ignored all calls from him, and when they did go through it was Charlie, letting Miles know he _wasn’t available at the moment_. The radio silence from both Alex and his ex was absolutely infuriating, because there was no way for him to relieve any of his pent up emotions. Miles so desperately wanted to curse out his ex, and apologize profusely to Alex, but he could get neither of them on the phone. When he hadn’t spoken to Alex in three days, he decided to send the largest, most expensive bouquet of flowers he could buy to Alex. 36 roses accompanied by several different types of daisies, but still there was no contact from Alex. Miles was considering legal action on the part of his ex, but feared that would be too excessive when he could speak to him in person. Even the thought of that almost made him sick; especially since he knew he would only do this if he was far away, specifically out of the country.  
On the other side of the ocean, Charlie was trying his best to keep Alex alive, and to keep him from losing his job. Day after day he had gotten shifts covered, and every visit to Alex’ apartment was met with an amazingly drunk Alex, whether it be at 2 PM or 11 PM. In four days, it seemed as though the only time Alex wasn’t completely trashed was when he was asleep, clutching a bottle in one hand and his phone in the other, the screen only showing missed calls and texts from Miles that had gone unanswered for days. 

“Do ya think you should talk to him? Those flowers rotting in the kitchen sure were pretty.” Charlie tried, glancing at the sad bouquet sitting on Alex’ dining room table.

“They can rot,” was all Alex said, taking a very large swig of beer. The entire apartment reeked of cigarette smoke and spilled alcohol, and Charlie decided that if he didn’t do something about this, he’d come to check on Alex and find himself choked on his own vomit. It was his day off, so Charlie had the time to stay around for a bit. When Alex inevitably passed out from alcohol consumption, Charlie took it upon himself to try and work things out. The first thing he did was open a window, the stale air had been gagging him since he walked in. Finding Alex’ phone and dialing Miles’ number was the easy part; having the conversation was a completely different animal. He tentatively held the phone to his ear, his anxiety growing as each ring passed. 

“Alex! Jesus, I was so fucking worried about you!” Miles nearly shouted as he answered the call. 

“Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not him.” Charlie said somberly, keeping a close eye on Alex as he slept on the couch. 

“Charlie?” Miles asked with some suspicion, his tone switching from when he answered the call.

“Yeah, Charlie. Look, Alex is in bad shape. Been checking up on him, and things have only gotten worse. You did a fucking number on him, man.” Charlie sighed, filling up a glass of water to sit next to Alex, unsure if he’d had any unfermented beverages in the last few days. 

“Please listen to me, I have so much to say. Fuck, I wish I could just fucking be there.” Charlie could tell how exasperated Miles was, even from across the ocean. 

“I’d love an explanation. Alex is pissed drunk right now, if you’re wondering.” 

“Me and Jay broke up a while ago, I completely cut off contact with him. I thought that was it. Then months later, I met Alex. I fucking… fuck I really care about him, I would never do anything like that to him. But I can’t tell him that, he won’t fucking talk to me!” Even though Miles was basically yelling into the phone, Charlie took no offense, since he was almost as frustrated by the recent events, despite being a third party. 

“You’re not the only one he won’t talk to. I can’t get a fucking word out of him.” Charlie said, running an agitated hand through his short blonde hair. 

“Has he really just been sitting in his apartment not talking to anyone?” Miles asked nervously.

“Yeah, hasn’t been to work, food’s rotting in the fridge, your flowers rotting on the table, him rotting on the fucking couch, just wearing some ratty old shirt an’ boxers…” Charlie commented, look around at the apartment surrounding him. 

“Ratty old shirt? What’s on it?” 

“Uh, just the Beatles, why?” Charlie asked, wondering why in hell it would matter what fucking shirt he was wearing. “Would you like to know the price of tea in China as well?”

“That’s the shirt I gave him.” Miles replied sadly, his heart breaking as he took in what was going on. “Have I fucked up?”

“Someone has.” 

Charlie and Miles continued talking, not exactly working out the problem at hand but giving each other insight on what might help. Charlie reassured Miles that Alex would be ok, telling him he’d gone through something similar with his last boyfriend. 

“Wait, which boyfriend?” Miles asked. Alex had told him about previous flings and lovers, but he never let on that any of them had left him a broken, drunken mess. 

“Douchebag cheated on him. That was a rough time. It was around when he first started working with me, and I remember he almost lost his job for coming in drunk. Somehow they didn’t let him go. He doesn’t talk about it much.” 

“He never told me.” Miles then realized why Alex wouldn’t speak to him, and would rather spend his waking moments numb and drunk. “No wonder he won’t speak to me.” 

“Well, whenever he wakes up, I’ll try and talk to him again. Let him know the conversation we’ve had. Also, since he didn’t tell you about the last guy, you’re probably not supposed to know. So keep that to yourself.” Even though Charlie and Miles were now on somewhat good terms, his tone was still defensive and intimidating over the line. 

“Right, I won’t tell him. Thank you for your help, by the way.”

“He’s my friend, it’s no big deal.” Charlie tried to shrug it off, but Miles knew that he was probably just as worried about Alex as he was. 

“I’ll be on a flight in two days. I promise I’ll make things right.” 

—

After the phone call, Charlie grabbed Alex’ wallet, fishing out Miles’ card to order takeout as he waited for him to wake up. It was well after the food arrived and he’d eaten that Alex began to stir; a series of disgruntled moans alerting him. 

“Well good morning!” Charlie said, purposely loud, trying to annoy Alex. Instead of a response, Alex just got up from the couch and darted into the bathroom, where Charlie heard him throwing up the entirety of the contents in his stomach. After a fit of retching, he heard the tap turned on, and soon Alex was re-emerging looking like Death’s poster child. 

“Are you alright?” Charlie asked, moving to the fridge to take out Alex’ food and to get him a glass of water. Alex immediately chugged the glass, and Charlie refilled it, encouraging him to drink as much water as he possibly could. “You need to eat, dude.” 

Alex just sighed, placing his head in his palms as if to steady himself. “I can’t believe it’s happened again, Charlie.” He muttered behind his hands and his mess of hair. 

“No, it hasn’t. Start eating, will ya?” 

Alex slowly cut off a bite of food and ate it cautiously, trying to ascertain if his stomach would allow it. “It has.” 

“I talked to him today. It’s not what you think-” 

“So now you’re on his side?” Alex interrupted, deciding to smoke a cigarette instead of finishing his food. 

“Oh come on, he’s been calling you for days. He didn’t know what was going on. We talked for a while, he explained everything.” Charlie rolled his eyes as Alex ignored him, paying more mind to the dirt that was hiding under his nails. 

“I can’t believe you talked to him.” Alex finally said, smashing his cigarette into the ashtray sat on his kitchen table. 

“His ex boyfriend is crazy, believe you me. He told me all about it. And I think he’d know better than to lie to me.” 

Alex sighed again, and resumed picking at his food. He didn’t want to forgive Miles, but he couldn’t stand his situation. He wanted to believe Charlie, and to trust Miles, but he was terrified of the outcome that would be if Alex’ worst fears were true. He’d dealt with this kind of heartbreak before, and he definitely never wanted to deal with it ever again. This agonizing swirl of emotions, uncertainties, and possible outcomes was the reason Alex was drinking himself into oblivion every day: it was much easier to drink himself unconscious than it was to sort out the mess of a situation around him. Dragging his fork around his plate, Alex drug himself back to reality and took another bite. Once he picked at and ate about half his food, he set it back in the fridge and went to lay on the couch. 

“If you don’t get a shower and sober up, I might kick your ass.” Charlie chided, his playfulness verging on seriousness. Alex thought better than to push his limits, and unenthusiastically made his way to his bathroom. 

30 minutes later Alex came out looking slightly better, but most importantly he felt a thousand times better. “I feel like a human again.” He said as he popped about three ibuprofen, before taking a spot next to Charlie on the couch. 

“Good. Now I’ve got to get going, my girlfriend will kill me if I’m gone all day. Also, I got your shifts covered for ya for the rest of the week. Don’t worry about coming in. Just don’t drink yourself to death, aye?” 

“I’ll try. Thank you, Charlie, for everything.” Alex gave him a small, slightly pathetic smile, and Charlie just clapped him on the shoulder gently. 

“It’s no problem. Now get some rest.”


	11. Is This It?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to post this since it's relatively short, why make everyone wait for a short chapter? So, enjoy :)

The next two days were more of the same, with Alex holed up in his apartment. However, taking some of Charlie’s advice, he tried to keep his drinking to a minimum, or until the barrage of texts from Miles telling him how sorry he was and how much he cared for him became too much to handle. The thought that Miles would be back sooner rather than later almost made his skin crawl, and he had no idea how he’d be able to face the man. The final string that made him unravel was a text he received from Miles, six hours prior. He had just woken up, incredibly hungover, and had the idea to slump back into sleep, but soon his anxieties had his heart racing. 

_Mi ❤️: Just boarded my flight, I’ll be thinking of you the whole time._

That meant Alex had more or less than an hour to do something; get as drunk as humanly possible or barricade the door. He chose the former. He knew Miles wouldn’t just leave him be, especially when he had a point to make. Alex used to admire his stubbornness, and he looked back bitterly at the memory as he found the closest bottle of alcohol that was somewhat full. 30 minutes later, he was three sheets to the wind, and 25 minutes after that, he was splayed on his couch and decided he didn’t give two shits about the situation. He held a smug grin on his face, taking swigs out of the bottle that was desperately trying to slip out of his fingers. However, when he heard a knock on the door, all his confidence was out the window, and suddenly the room felt like it was spinning. He didn’t get up from the couch, knowing Miles would use the spare key he held under his doormat, and waited for his fate. After a few more knocks he heard shuffling from the other side of the door, and soon heard the sound of his lock being opened. 

The door opened slowly, cautiously, and then Alex heard that voice, the voice that changed his whole world. “Aly? Are you here?” Miles called, coming through the door and pulling his suitcase in, all with Alex watching him like a ghost. When Miles’ eyes landed on Alex, he froze in his spot, letting the door close behind him. He tried to make eye contact with Alex, but his eyes were glossed over and unfocused, he was very obviously drunk. 

“Alex…” Miles commented quietly, trying not to scare Alex or trigger another screaming match. 

“You broke my heart.” Alex responded bitterly, lifting the bottle once again to his lips. 

“I would never hurt you like that,” Miles tried. 

“But you did,” And then came the tears, hot tears rolling down Alex’ face involuntarily, and he still wouldn’t look at Miles. Tears dripped off his chin and hit his shirt, making Miles’ heart break. “Can’t you see this makes me feel like a fool? I told my mum about you.” Alex laughed bitterly, still not bothering to wipe his tears. 

“I love you,” Miles stated suddenly, shocking himself and Alex, who finally looked up to meet his gaze. Instead of responding, Alex just broke down again, heavy sobs shaking his body as he held his face in his hands. It was then that Miles moved towards him, taking a seat on the couch next to him and engulfing Alex in a tight embrace. “Just let me love you,” Miles continued, holding Alex as close as possible, despite him smelling like stale cigarettes and copious amounts of alcohol. Alex let himself be held, sobbing into Miles’ chest, crying like he had never let himself cry in front of anyone before. Alex held onto Miles’ shirt in his fists, trying desperately to hold on to any sense of comfort he could. He cried until he absolutely exhausted himself, and Miles gently carried him to bed once he had fallen asleep. 

Once he tucked Alex into bed, Miles undressed himself and crawled in, immediately moving to hold Alex as tight as he could. While Miles lay awake, holding onto a sleeping Alex, he tried to telepathically communicate to him, telling him how much he cherished him, how much he wanted to take care of him, and how he’d do anything to make sure he was happy and safe. He felt like he had succeeded when Alex turned to him in his sleep, nuzzling up to him and wrapping his arms around him subconsciously. It was only until then that Miles himself could fall asleep, his exhaustion from his flight and his emotional state finally catching up to him.   
To say that when they woke up they loved each other was far from the truth. Miles opened his eyes to find himself in an empty bed and a pit in his stomach. He rose immediately, not even thinking about dressing. He found Alex in the living room, dumping ashtrays and picking up empty bottles. He wasn’t sure how to approach; it was almost as if they still had the distance of a transatlantic flight between them. He stood in the mouth of the hallway until Alex acknowledged him, which was really just a glance and a flick of a cigarette. 

“Can we talk?” Miles whispered, feeling more vulnerable than he would have liked. 

“That depends.” Alex replied slowly, moving around with a lit cigarette in one hand and a trash bag in the other. 

“Depends on what?” 

“Did you cheat on me?” Alex finally stood still and looked at Miles, who was now able to see what a toll this had taken on his once angelic boy. The bags under his eyes were almost black, his lips were horribly chapped, and his skin was ashen. The almost purely alcohol diet he’d been following for the better part of a week had caused him to drop some weight, which was very noticeable on his already slight frame. His bloodshot eyes and the slight shake of his hand when he lifted his cigarette to take a drag did nothing to help how he was trying to portray himself -unbothered. 

“No.” Miles answered honestly, keeping his eyes fixed on Alex’ even though the sight was hard to bear. 

“Don’t lie to me, I feel like shit already.” Every word had an edge, a bite, like Alex was using every ounce of self restraint not to yell, kick and scream. 

“I’m not. I wouldn’t.” Miles closed his eyes and sighed, trying desperately himself not to shake Alex by the shoulders until he believed him. “What do I have to do for you to believe me?” He asked, stretching his arms out as a means to try and reach Alex, wherever he was. 

“I don’t know… I’m just, you really fucked me up.” The quiver in Alex’ lip almost betrayed him, almost showed that he was dangerously close to breaking down again. 

“I know. That was never my intention. I need you to know that-“

“It’s not that easy, Mi. I need some time. Time to… figure things out. I suppose.”

“I’ll wait. As long as it takes, ok? I’m sorry, I’m so so so fucking sorry for all of this. I’ll take care of it.” Miles’ voice was raised, but in that unique pleading tone that let Alex know that there was indeed truth in those words. 

“Ok.”

“Ok.”

Miles then left to get dressed, and after a while he was getting ready to leave. As much as Alex hated it, he didn’t want want Miles to leave; he wanted him to stay there forever.   
“Are you leaving, then?” Alex asked, once again using every bit of self control he had. 

“Yeah, just to give you some space. I’ll be here, though, if you need me.” Miles’ eyes were red, and Alex tried not to think of the possibility that Miles was crying over him. “I love you, Alex.” Miles’ voice was slightly hoarse, confirming that he had indeed been crying. 

Instead of replying properly Alex just nodded and took another drag, turning his head down so Miles couldn’t see his eyes welling up. A moment of silence passed before Miles turned to the door, slipping out of the apartment and out of Alex’ life as easily as he’d come in.


	12. Docked In Tempestuous Bays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I've been awful at updating!! Hopefully this makes up for it X

_Hello, this is Alex Turner, sorry I can’t make it to the phone right now, please leave a message and I’ll call you back._

Alex’ voicemail message was something Miles had grown accustomed to over their tumultuous week apart, but he didn’t expect to keep hearing it after he’d gotten back. He promised Alex he’d give him space, but he still wanted to make sure he was ok, just to check on him. Miles certainly wasn’t expecting complete silence for three days. He hadn’t heard from Charlie either, so he tried to reassure himself that nothing serious had happened. On the morning of day four, he decided to take a new plan of action, and since there was no way he could personally show Alex his devotion, he’d show it in a different way. Firstly, he called Alex’ landlord and told him he’d be paying his rent for the rest of the year, in advance. Secondly, he found the best vegetarian restaurant in London and had breakfast, lunch, and dinner delivered to Alex, with special instructions to make sure the food had been accepted. Thirdly, he sent a new bouquet of flowers over, twice the size of the first one he’d sent. And lastly, he called Charlie. 

“You’ve been putting in some serious ass kissing, man.” Charlie greeted, not bothering with a standard hello. 

“What else should I do? He doesn’t want to see me.” 

“He sent me pictures of the food you sent him today. He appreciated that.” 

“He hasn’t found out I paid his rent, yet.”

“You what?” Charlie’s stunned voice raised a few octaves as he replied, not believing Miles would go that far. 

“It’s not much. Alex kinda lives in a dump.” 

“He absolutely does.” 

They continued some friendly banter for a moment, Miles asking how Alex has been, Charlie complaining about how Alex has always been a lousy drunk, but he’s got a good heart, and a brief moment of Miles gushing about how much he adored Alex. After that, however, their conversation took a more serious turn. “Look, mate. I’ve got a favor to ask, and it’s gonna sound crazy.” Miles was getting nervous, unsure if this was the right way to go about something like this. 

“Please tell me it’s nothing crazier than what’s been going on this past week…” Charlie sighed. 

“No, no. It’s just, I kind of want you to scare my ex. I’ve left a million messages berating him, but I think with… some persuasion, he’d leave us alone.” 

When Charlie was silent for a long pause, Miles was beginning to think he’d crossed the line, and his idea was cruel and uncalled for. Finally, Charlie replied. “You know what, Kane? I think I like you.” 

—

Charlie was given explicit instructions, scare him, but don’t hurt him in any way, unless provoked. Make sure he gets the idea to stay far away from Miles and Alex’ lives. Of course Charlie was somewhat excited about the proposition, that guy had made a serious mistake by fucking with Alex. Miles had given him his daily schedule, still being the same from when they had been together. Charlie waited until his commute home from work, anticipation bubbling inside him at the thought of justice for his friend. When he finally spotted Jay walking home, he immediately set his target up. Walking behind him, he quickly closed the distance with a few long strides, until he was behind him. Making sure it was a surprise attack, Charlie grabbed him from behind by his collar, forcefully dragging him into a nearby alleyway, and pushing him against the wall roughly. 

“Who the fuck are you?? What do you want??” Jay screamed, squirming fruitlessly in Charlie’s grip. 

“Shut up. And listen.” When he finally spoke, a look of horror flashed over Jay’s face as he came to the conclusion it was Alex’ friend from the bar. The very tall, very muscular friend from the bar. 

“I will absolutely call the police! This is harassment!” He yelled, still struggling to free himself from Charlie’s grasp. 

“No, you won’t. But here’s what you’re going to do: you’re gonna leave Miles and Alex the fuck alone. You really fucked up.” Charlie’s voice was almost a growl, his grip on the man tightening with each word spoken. 

“What the fuck will you do if I don’t?” Jay challenged, which was not the best idea. Charlie pulled him away from the wall by his lapels and immediately shoved him back into it, causing the air to be knocked out of his chest. 

While Jay was gasping for air, Charlie replied. “If you don’t, you and I will be seeing a lot more of each other. And I promise I’m not bluffing. The only reason you’re not getting your ass kicked right now is because Miles knows you’re just a little bitch.” 

“You don’t even know him!” Jay sneered, continuing his useless struggle out of Charlie’s hands. “Alex doesn’t even know him! Me and Miles were made for each other!” He spat. 

Charlie just tutted at him, pulling him up by his collar. “A jealous lover… how funny. You can’t even understand that Miles wants absolutely _nothing_ to do with you?”

“You don’t know that! He loves me!” Jay practically yelled, not giving up on his struggle to free himself. 

“He doesn’t, I know that. And I also know he wants you out of his fucking life! He told me not to hurt you unless provoked, and I’ve gotta say, I’m feeling pretty provoked right now.” Charlie again tightened his grip on the man’s coat, dragging him up the wall until his feet barely touched the ground. “Do you want me to knock your fucking teeth in?” 

A surrendering look of being scared shitless occupied Jay’s face, despite his efforts to conceal his fear. “Fine! I’ll leave them alone. But if you ever lay your hands on me again, you’re going to fucking jail.” 

“And if you so much as look in their direction, you’re going to the fucking hospital. Are we clear?” Charlie not so gently dropped him to the ground, and flashed a sarcastic grin, making Jay almost physically cringe. 

“Yes,” he whispered, refusing to look Charlie in the eyes. 

“What’s that? Louder.” Charlie gave him another rough shove into the wall, making the man put his hands up in defeat. 

“Yes! Yes! Ok! Please just let me go!” Jay was absolutely begging, and Charlie finally decided to let him go. 

“Good. Now fuck off. I never want to see you again. Also, give me your phone.” Not wanting to push his luck, Jay slowly fished his phone out of his pocket and handed it over. Charlie took the device in his hands, and then threw it on the ground, the sound of broken class ringing through the quiet alley. Charlie gave him another exaggerated grin, before pushing him in the direction of the alleyway opening. Jay quickly scrambled away, disappearing from the scene as quickly as possible. 

After Jay left, and Charlie headed in the opposite direction, he called Miles. “How did it go?” Miles answered, continuing their new tradition of not saying hello. 

“I think it’s safe to say he got the message. Also, I smashed his phone.” Charlie chuckled, well pleased with himself. 

“I can’t say he didn’t deserve it. Thank you, Charlie.” 

“No problem; I’d do it again if you wanted me to.” They both laughed at his quip, and both desperately hoped this would be the end of their unfortunate affair. 

—

Alex slowly began going back to work; even though he still had Miles’ credit card he rarely ever used it. The days after Miles came back were almost harder than the days he’d been gone, because now Alex knew exactly where he was, and the gravitational pull became stronger and stronger each day. Miles kept his promise and stayed distant, spare a few phone calls and the many gifts that would appear at his door. Knowing that Miles still loved him, but decided to put Alex’ wishes before his own desires slowly began to chip away at the dull ache in his heart. It had been a week since Miles came to his apartment, and since that day he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, which made him anxious, irritable, and made him miss Miles even more. Alex had done his fair share of drugs, and drank plenty of alcohol in his days, but nothing compared to the absolute bliss of Miles’ arms around him. The high he got from just feeling the man’s skin on his was more delicious than any drug, and if he could bottle that essence up he’d be an addict for the rest of his life. The small taste of that he’d gotten when he saw Miles was eating him alive, and he craved more of it.  
He finally caved when the second week began. Miles hadn’t contacted him in a few days, which almost made Alex upset, until he reminded himself that was what he had asked for. It was his day off, which meant he had absolutely nothing to do. Charlie worked that day as well, so he couldn’t ring up his friend to help the time go by. He had just begun brewing his coffee when he heard a knock at the door, which with the amount of gifts Miles had been sending him, he’d grown accustomed to. At the door was another delivery man, standing with a bouquet of flowers. Alex has received so many bouquets in the last week he was running out of surfaces to put them on, but at least his apartment smelled like a flower shop instead of a stale pub. He took them politely, signing for the flowers before the delivery man was on his way. There was a little note attached, which read:

_I’d go to the moon and back twice easy, just to kiss half of your mouth. -Mi X_

Alex immediately blushed, and felt that familiar swelling of his chest he felt whenever Miles would speak to him like that, seemingly knowing just the exact phrase or word to say to make him melt in his hands. Before his better judgement could stop him, Alex dug out his phone and started typing a new text to Miles. 

_Alex: just got your flowers; thank you :)_

He was about to put the phone back in his pocket, but Miles replied almost immediately. 

_Mi ❤️: you’re welcome love X hope you’re doing well_

Alex sighed and put his phone away, knowing he was close to cracking. He missed him so much, with every fiber of his being. Everything in him longed for Miles; he even occupied Alex’ dreams at night. How much longer could he possibly deny himself? He now knew the truth, but there was still that pit in his stomach that told him to be careful, that last little shred of self preservation inside of him.  
He sat and contemplated what he should do, agonizing over every minuscule detail, every single bit of information he’d already been processing for a week and a half. And then, he was out the door, leaving his apartment, his feet carrying him as if they were acting on their own accord. One moment later he was sitting on a bus, the next moment in an elevator, and at last, his tired groggy limbs made it to their destination. There he was, standing in front of Miles’ door. He stared at the hardwood until his vision blurred, trying to figure out if he should knock, or turn around and run. His breathing was heavy, his cheeks flushed, his mind racing. He saw himself knocking on the door, and then again after a few moments. _It’s Sunday_ , Alex thought, _please open this door_. A few moments later, his wish was granted. The door opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Miles, wearing a white tracksuit and socks. There was a deafening silence as they locked eyes, both silently assessing if the situation was hostile, and if it was actually real. 

Miles’ eyes softened as he saw Alex’ eyes welling up, and with a soft sigh he finally broke the silence, “Baby, come here.”


	13. Coax Me Out My Low

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I'd like to apologize for such a delayed update. I've had a lot of personal stuff going on lately, and it's been really tough trying to write and deal with what's been going on. I'm currently writing the last chapter to this; thank you all for your unending support and praise for this story! It means the world to me, especially when I wasn't sure if I was even going to finish this when I first wrote it. Also, me and yvette_cigarette have collabed on a really awesome story, There's A Starman..., so please check it out if you haven't already! The second part will be up soon, if everything goes according to plan. If you've read to this, thanks again, you guys are truly amazing. XX

Miles’ few words were all the motivation Alex needed to dump himself into his arms, silent tears running down his cheeks as he clung to Miles like a drowning man. In all honesty, Alex could say he was drowning; drowning in sorrow and yearning. Miles immediately wrapped his arms around Alex, nuzzling into his unruly hair, and gently pressing his fingers into his waist with no intention of letting go. The embrace became tighter as time passed, as if they were trying to merge themselves together, so no severance would be possible. 

“I’m so sorry, Miles… I should’ve never doubted you…” Alex mumbled after a while, still sniffling and letting a few tears fall on Miles’ shoulder. 

“Don’t apologize, love. I hate that I put you through this, I’d never hurt you like that.” Miles pulled away, but only far enough so he could kiss Alex’ tears away, and on the forehead. “I’m so sorry for what’s happened.”

Alex kissed him, a soft, delicate kiss, relaying his forgiveness. Miles carefully tucked a strand of hair behind Alex’ ear, giving him a soft smile. “Are we going to be ok?” Alex asked, his teary eyes looking up at Miles almost like he was begging him to say _yes_. 

There was no need to beg, however, because Miles just nodded before kissing him again. “Everything’s gonna be just fine, I promise.”

—

Sleeping with Miles that night, being engulfed in his almost foreign, yet delightfully familiar smell, being held in his arms, was the first night in almost a week that Alex actually felt like he was resting. The hours of sleep he’d gotten were few and far between, with most nights spent staring at his ceiling with sweaty palms and a knot in his throat. He knew that this was exactly where he belonged, and exactly where he wanted to stay.  
The next day they woke up together, for the first time in what felt like forever. Instead of starting their day, they just laid there, staring at each other, re-familiarizing themselves with being together. 

“I missed you so much.” Miles said, rubbing small circles on Alex’ back. 

“I’ve never missed someone more in my entire life.” And that was the truth, even when Alex’ parents had left for a weekend for a teacher’s convention when he was in grade school, he didn’t miss them as much as he’d missed Miles. 

“Do you have to work today?” Alex asked before nuzzling into the crook of Miles’ neck.

“No, I woke up earlier to call my secretary to let her know I wouldn’t be able to come in today.” 

“You won’t get in trouble will you?” Alex was ecstatic that he wouldn’t have to leave Miles all day, but would never want to come between whatever important business Miles had to attend to.

“Baby, I own the company. If anyone gets in trouble, it’s because I say so.” Miles grinned, giving him a kiss before wrapping his arms around Alex’ waist.

“I don’t work either. I’ve kinda gotten myself into trouble for not coming in for an entire week.” Alex said meekly.

“Why don’t you quit? I’ll take care of you. I’ve already paid your rent…” Miles began.

“You what? Miles! You can’t do that!” Alex protested, but there was no malice in his voice, and a grin was beginning to tug at his lips.

“Well I’ve already done it, so you’ve really no reason for a job. Plus, school is starting in what, a month? You should be focusing on your studies.” 

“Alright, mum.” Alex teased, failing to hide his smile once again. “I’ll put in a notice.”  
\--

Two weeks later, it was Alex’ last shift. All of his coworkers expressed how much they’d miss him, but in the back of his mind he was more than happy to never see these people again; especially his managers. The only person he would miss was Charlie, but he knew he’d see him still despite leaving their workplace.

“You’ve really hit the jackpot, you know that? You’ve got him wrapped around your finger.” Charlie teased while they were on a smoke break together. 

“It’s not like that, mate. He loves me, and all that.” Alex shyly replied. 

“How have you been? Seriously?” Charlie looked at Alex directly, not giving him a way out. 

“We’ve been good, honestly. It’s nice knowing someone cares so much about us.” Alex was blushing at his honesty, trying his best to hide under Charlie’s gaze. 

“I’m glad. Really, I am. I hated seeing you so down like that.” Charlie could be gruff, but when needed, he could also be the most sincere person on the planet. That’s what Alex appreciated about him so much, and why he was his most trusted companion in London. 

“Thank you again, for your help. I don’t know how to repay you…” 

“Just be happy, aye? You and Miles. Go be sappy and loved up. You deserve it, dude.” 

—

Despite being separated for a month, Alex and Miles very easily slipped into their old routine. The only difference was that Miles decided to completely spoil Alex, which always made him a flustered, blushing mess, even though he secretly loved it. 

“Miles, you can’t just buy me everything.” Alex commented one day after Miles came home to shower Alex with gifts. Now that he wasn’t working, Alex spent more days at Miles’ apartment than his own, and neither complained. 

“Oh, but I like doing it!” Miles protested, setting down his bags and plopping on the couch next to Alex. “Plus, I quite like shopping for myself as well.” 

“I don’t care about the gifts, I just want to experience things with you. What the hell am I going to do with this?” Alex said, pointing at a way too expensive silk scarf with his initials embroidered on it. “It’s not gonna keep me warm, and you spent too much on it. You’ll be broke before you’re 35 if you keep this up.” He teased, giving Miles a poke in his ribs to make him squirm. 

“It was… cute…” Miles replied, putting on an exaggerated pout. 

“Just take me out to dinner, don’t buy me these ridiculous things!” Alex giggled, taking the scarf and playfully wrapping it around Miles’ neck. “Now come lay with me, I wanna take a nap.”

“Living with you is like having a kitten around, always napping, you are.” 

—

Despite the glorious reunion, paranoia and fear still crept into Alex’ mind often. Whenever Miles was home late, or took hours to respond to texts or missed his calls, an ache in his chest would grow at the possibilities of what could be happening. He would like to think that he trusted Miles completely, since he hadn’t actually done anything, but once the seed was planted, it was troublesome to shake.   
A good distraction from this was his course work, which kept him busy throughout the week. He stayed at his flat for class, visiting Miles on weekends. He always cherished that time with him, and every time he saw Miles, he was so overwhelmed with adoration that the thought of Miles not being completely devoted to him was laughable.   
One night, while they were laying in bed after an extended love making session, Alex grabbed Miles’ hand and kissed it. “I love you too, Miles.”   
“Hm?” Miles asked, still dazed from their activities.   
“I realized I never said it back, when you said you loved me. So, I love you too.” Miles turned to face him then, a lazy smile on his face and his sleepy eyes shining.   
“I love you so much,” Miles replied, leaning in to seal the deal with a chaste kiss.


	14. Five Star Affair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this!! I'm so happy to finally be finishing this story. I hope you all like it and don't hate me haha
> 
> Enjoy X

Holidays were quickly approaching, and with that, exams. Alex has been so busy studying he had hardly remembered it was almost Christmas, and remembered even less to make appropriate plans. It only struck him how behind he was when he came to Miles’ flat after his last exam, and saw him hanging up decorations. 

“Mi, what’s all this?” Alex asked, wading through the maze of boxes in the living room. 

“Christmas decorations, puppet. I was gonna wait until you got home so we could do it together!” Miles was sliding around, full of excited energy, wearing a Christmas sweater with matching socks. 

“Jesus, I’ve honestly forgotten.” Embarrassed, Alex sat his book bag on the counter, and took out his phone to finally check all of the missed calls and messages over the week. Just as expected, there were about ten left from his mum, each one with growing agitation. “My mum is literally going to kill me.” 

“Why? Also, put this on.” Miles handed him a sweater, even though it was a perfectly comfortable temperature inside. Despite that, Alex reluctantly put it on, which gave Miles the biggest smile. “I knew you’d look cute in that.” 

“Mi, I’m gonna have to go home for Christmas. If you want a living boyfriend, that is.” Typing out his profuse apologies to his mother, Alex groaned at the thought of their next phone call. 

“Wouldn’t mind spending Christmas with them, really. I think it’s time I finally met them.” Miles replied nonchalantly, looking through the various boxes on the floor. 

“You’d come? What about your parents?” 

“Well, they’ve gone off to Jamaica, haven’t they. Won’t be back till after the new year.” 

“Oh.” However strange it was to Alex that Miles’ parents would go off without their son on Christmas, didn’t quite settle as much as the relief he felt when thinking of Miles tagging along with him to Sheffield. “That’d be nice, really. My mum’s been gagging to meet you.” Alex smiled then, just as Miles moved in to place a kiss on his smiling lips. 

“Then it’s settled. Now help me decorate!”

—

After they decorated the apartment and set up the Christmas tree, Miles decided it would be more fun to go out to dinner than eat in. Bundling up against the already freezing weather, they headed out to dinner at one of Miles’ favorites, but not before calling ahead and letting the chef know they would need a completely vegetarian Shepherd's Pie. 

Their dinner was amazing, Miles pulling out all the bells and whistles, whilst showing off Alex to the highest degree, as was the norm. He was somewhat getting used to it at this point; being paraded around on Miles’ arm, and not once getting tired of it. He was proud to be with him, whenever Miles introduced him to his fancy acquaintances, when they would go out to business dinners, or when they would just go out to eat, like tonight. He would always use his most polite demeanor, and Miles would never fail to say something about him that made him a blushing mess. 

By the time their course was finished, every bit the five star affair, Alex was drunk on wine and nuzzling up to Miles every chance he could. Never once did Miles shy away, or tell him  _ not here, babe,  _ he only encouraged Alex to be the most loved up to him as possible. Miles relished in it, knowing that more than half the people they ever came across would never be as happy as they were together. Also, Miles was not one to deny Alex anything, so if his boy wanted a cuddle, or a kiss, he would gladly give it to him, and more. 

“Mi, that was so good…” Alex half-slurred on the ride back home, forgoing his seatbelt in favor of clinging to Miles’ side. 

“Mmm, yes it was.” Miles agreed, delighting in the weight against his side. 

“I can’t wait for you to meet my parents, love.” 

“I can’t either.”

“My mum is gonna love you, I can already tell. I’m so happy…” he said drunkenly, and dreamily, gazing up at Miles. 

Miles looked down at him and smiled, smoothing away stray hairs and placing a kiss on his forehead. He was almost disappointed when the car came to a halt, so unabashedly in love he hardly wanted to separate even for a moment. 

—

In the next week, they prepared for their adventure to the north. They were both equally excited to head back; London was great but there was nothing like the welcoming chill that blew down the streets and the warmth of a kitchen that was cooking a homemade meal. Miles, being the experienced traveller he was, had already covered everything they would need for their trip. Alex suspected Miles was even more excited than he was, and Miles wasn’t even visiting his family. 

The day before they were set to leave, Alex’ usual nerves came into play, mostly because this was the first time he’d ever brought a boyfriend home. When he had talked to his mum about it, she was completely over the moon, Alex could almost hear her tidying up when he told her Miles would be joining him. But he and Miles still lived very different lives; he feared that all the excitement that had brewed over the course of a week would be a severe let down for Miles once he saw how Alex actually grew up, in the modest home of two teachers. 

“I hope there’s a nice shop around where I can get your parents something, I don’t think I’ll have time to go shopping before we leave….” Miles, the busybody he was, was flitting around the flat, making sure everything was packed, checked, and double checked. 

“I’m sure they’re not expecting a gift, babe. They’re just excited you’re coming.” Alex replied, watching from the couch as Miles disappeared and reappeared with more things to bring along. “You’re bringing more things than there is room in the house, are you sure you need all this?” 

“Absolutely. Do your parents drink wine?”

“Just some brandy after dinner.” 

“I’ll bring a bottle, just in case.” Miles went to the kitchen, checking his miniature wine cooler. “What about this? A bit cheap…”

Alex looked at the wine, a vintage red, easily a bottle costing over a hundred pounds, “Christ, don’t tell me mum how much you paid for that.” 

“Of course not, it’s a gift!” Miles glanced over at Alex for the first time, finally slowing down to take in his partner. Alex was fidgeting with the sleeve of his jumper, almost worrying a hole in a delicate fabric. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, it’s just… we’re just regular people, ya know? They’re teachers, we live extremely modest, no flare. I don’t want you to be…” Alex hesitated, looking around as if he’d find the words floating in the air. “Disappointed? Let down?”

“Aly-“

“It’s not going to be like the fancy hotels we’ve stayed in, or the business dinners we go to. They aren’t wealthy, and-“ 

“Alex.” Miles cut him off, placing the wine bottle on the counter and taking Alex’ worried hands in his. “That’s so far away from why I’m excited. And I think you know me better than to think I only want to surround myself in luxury. I’m excited because it’s  _ your  _ family, the people you love, and I can’t wait to meet them and spend time with them. I owe them a lot, they gave me you.” 

“How do you know?” Alex asked, wrapping his arms around Miles and resting his head on his chest. 

“Know what?”

“The words, all the right words to make everything ok.” 

“I’ve a bit of practice.”

—

Miles and Alex had barely gotten out of the taxi before Alex’ mum was bustling down the front steps and taking their luggage. “Miles! It’s so lovely to finally meet you!” She greeted, her warm and loving energy instantly lighting up the gloomy winter street. 

“It’s so lovely to meet you as well, Mrs. Turner.” Alex almost laughed at how polite Miles’ words were, but it was all so endearing to him. 

“Please, call me Penny. Is this everything?” She pointed to their suitcases on the curb, to which Miles timidly replied that there were also bags in the boot of the taxi, which was still idling beside them. Alex stood smiling as he watched Penny fuss over Miles, immediately taking him under her wing. 

Miles and Penny quickly became close, talking for hours over tea and biscuits as they got to know each other. The sight warmed Alex’ heart to an unknown degree as he sat and watched, giving his own commentary when needed. It was also relieving, being so that he wasn’t the target of his mother’s unending chatting. He knew they would get along swimmingly for that very reason, as Miles was also quite the chatterbox himself. Miles succeeded in not only charming his mum, but also his dad as well, just by mentioning his attempts at mastering the saxophone over dinner. When it was finally time to retire for the evening, they were both equally exhausted. Alex’ childhood room hadn’t changed much since he moved out, his dusty record player sitting on his desk, textbooks on his bookshelf he hadn’t touched in years, and the box under his bed where he’d tried, and failed, to hide a bit of weed from his mum. He was honestly happy to be back, to see his parents again, especially with Miles there with him. 

“I knew my mum would love ya,” Alex grinned as he changed into his pajamas. 

“Oh she’s lovely! She and my aunt would be the best of friends.” Miles was stacking their suitcases in the corner, trying to locate which one he’d packed his pajamas in. 

“I hope they can meet one day, then.”

“I’ll make sure of it, pet.” Miles found the right suitcase, huffing as he drug it out to look through its contents. Picking through his silk pajama sets, he decided on his usual favorite, Alex’ faded Yorkshire tee. 

They climbed into Alex’ bed, much smaller than Miles’ spacious king size bed. Cuddled up close together, Alex could easily rub his nose against Miles’ with almost no effort. “You know,” he whispered, “it was kinda hot seeing you on your best behavior in front of me parents today…” 

“Was it?” Miles answered in mock surprise, a devilish grin appearing on his face. “Then tell me,” he began as he slipped his leg in between Alex’ thighs, “how hot was it?” 

Alex carefully pushed Miles on his back, and straddled him. Just the silky tone of Miles’ voice had begun to get him hard, and Alex let him know that by grinding his hips down on him, only to be met with another growing erection. Miles had one hand on his hips, using the other to guide Alex’ lips to his by way of holding his chin. The wet, sloppy, and lustful kisses they shared by no means indicated they were soon to head to sleep, and Alex started undressing them both, throwing the garments haphazardly in any and all directions. “Let me ride you,” Alex breathed, and Miles nodded in agreement. Alex got up from the bed only to scramble inside his bedside table, almost rejoicing as he found a small bottle of lube he’d left there. Miles was ready to slick up his fingers, but Alex stopped him. “I wanna do it,” he stated, moving to kiss the head of Miles’ cock before graciously slathering lube on it. Alex positioned himself on top of Miles, with his back facing him, so Miles would have a perfect view of his ass the entire time. 

He slowly lowered himself on Miles’ cock, stifling his moans as he took him inch by inch. When Miles was completely inside him, he let out a shuttered breath, as did Miles, almost overwhelmed by how amazing Alex felt around him. Alex took Miles’ hands and placed them on his hips as he began slowly bouncing up and down, deliberately slow, so he could feel every bit of Miles inside him. As he continued, almost losing control on the feeling of fucking himself with Miles’ cock, Alex threw his head back, choking out a moan he couldn’t hold. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at Miles, his hair falling into his face and his mouth hung open, his heavy lidded eyes glistening with lust. Alex clenched just at the sight of Miles below him, making him let out a groan and his grip tightened on Alex’ hips. Alex leaned up to brace himself with his hands, positioning himself to hit his spot, steadily moving his hips up and down as Miles caressed Alex’ body, before grabbing a hold of his ass. Alex could see Miles’ toes curl up as he moved, and snapped his hips back down in response. A gasp escaped Miles’ lips as he instinctively bucked his hips, burying himself deeper into Alex. Before getting too carried away, he let Alex stay in control. Miles just sunk back into the mattress as Alex’ quite literally massaged his dick, not daring to take his hands off of him. Alex’ legs were shaking as he felt himself coming up to his orgasm, but before he could, Miles pulled them up, and Alex was suddenly on his knees. Miles wasted no time before plowing into Alex from behind, holding tight to his waist. And just as Alex thought he couldn’t  take much more, Miles wrapped one hand around his neck, and buried the other in his hair, tugging back hard. Alex felt his whole body heating up, and the lack of oxygen he was receiving caused the most intoxicating feeling, as if he was already coming. 

As Alex let go, unable to hold his orgasm for any longer, behind him Miles felt Alex’ whole body tense, clenching around him. His thrusts became sloppier as Alex’ muffled cries of pleasure filled the bedroom, and soon he too reached his climax. When Alex felt Miles’ warm release, and his throbbing cock inside him, it only increased his orgasm high; half of his thrill being the feeling of Miles inside him. After a long moment of caresses and kisses, Miles slowly pulled out of Alex, watching the come drip down his shaking thighs. 

“Fuck, I love you.” Miles stated breathlessly, flopping back onto the bed. Alex collapsed next to him, sweaty, sticky, and euphoric. 

“I love you too,” Alex mumbled, nuzzling into Miles’ neck.

“Hey, hey, don’t fall asleep yet, we need to clean you up.” Alex just groaned his response, so Miles fetched a damp towel for them and tenderly cleaned his boy before tucking him in. 

“This is already the best Christmas, Mi.” Alex said sleepily, getting as close to Miles as possible once he slid in bed. 

“It sure is, love.”

Alex was correct, it was indeed his favorite Christmas, filled with love and joy. Miles met his aunts and uncles and cousins, his childhood best friends, all of them being charmed to death by the dashing man whose arm was always securely around Alex’ waist. For the first time in their relationship, it was Alex who was parading Miles around, showing him off to everyone in his world. 

During a Christmas Eve celebration, Alex looked around the room and saw everyone he loved, his family, his closest friends, and Miles, mingling in almost perfectly -besides being the most handsome man in the room. As he was sat chatting with Alex’ grandmother, making her laugh at one of his no doubt fantastical stories, Alex took a mental snapshot of the moment, one he’d like to remember forever: their first Christmas. 

—

Back in London, after Christmas came and went, Miles and Alex were preparing for a New Year’s Eve party hosted by one of Miles’ colleagues. It was at a swanky rooftop club in Mayfair, a world away from the cozy little Christmas they had just shared together. The party was filled with beautiful women adorned in pearls and diamonds, delicate glasses of champagne which were never empty, and rich men in black suits wearing big watches. Alex had begun to lose count of how many times his glass had been filled, or how many people he’d been introduced to, but one thing he was completely aware of was Miles’ warmth beside him, the way his hand slipped into Alex’ as they walked through the throng of people, and that almost ever present hand delicately placed on the small of his back. 

The party was in full swing, and as the clock ticked closer to midnight, the air in the room was filled with bubbling excitement as everyone prepared to ring in the new year. Less than ten minutes away, everyone’s eyes were eagerly glued to the TV screens, watching the clock count down second by second. And then, Miles was suddenly pulling Alex outside, onto the frigid balcony. 

“Miles, we’re gonna miss the countdown! We’ve got to go back inside, love.” Alex protested gently, keeping close to Miles as a source of warmth. 

“I want to ask you something.” Miles said quite seriously, engaging Alex in unwavering eye contact. 

“Can it not wait until after? We’ve got just over two minutes!” Alex went to take Miles’ arm, to try and guide him inside, but Miles stayed completely still, not budging an inch. 

“Alex, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now…” he began, bringing Alex closer to him again. “And I want to start this new year off right. Together, just the two of us.” Alex’ full attention was now on him, as he raked his eyes over Miles to try and find an answer or explanation to what he was proposing. 

He wasn’t on one knee, thank God, Alex definitely wasn’t ready for marriage and would have certainly had a heart attack if Miles had tried to ask him. But what could this be about? He heard the TV in the background, just a bit over a minute left. 

“Miles, what's this about?” He almost whispered, only inches away from Miles. 

“I want us to move in together. Properly. Move all your things over, not just the books overflowing me nightstand. I wanna wake up next to you every morning, not just weekends. I want you to always be with me, close to me. How does that sound?” 

Thirty seconds left. And Alex was stunned silent. His mouth agape, ignoring the cold around him, Alex stood and processed the words that were spoken to him.  _ Ten, nine, eight…  _ “Miles, I-“  _ six, five, four…  _ “of course!”  _ Two, one.  _

“Happy New Year,” Miles grinned, pulling Alex in for a breathtaking kiss, starting off the new year with more of a bang than he could’ve ever imagined. 

“Happy New Year, baby.”


End file.
